Corruption has long pervaded the construction industry in Zambia, as it involves interaction between various stakeholders and involves a certain level of cooperation in order to coordinate the numerous activities which make up the construction process. The balance between activities which legally facilitate this process and those which are tainted by concepts of corruption is not always clear. Corruption is commonly defined as the "abuse of public power for private benefit" (Rodriguez et al., 2005, p. 383), but it goes beyond public officials and often affects businesses and supply chains as well (Dixit, 2015; Cuervo-Cazurra, 2016). Corruption has many connotations and interpretations, varying according to time and place (Rose-Ackerman and Palifka, 2016). The common dimensions of corruption involve exchange, violation of norms, abuse of power, indirect victims and secrecy (Rabl and Kühlmann, 2008). The scale and complexity of many construction projects, together with the number of parties participating, the geographical locations where they are performed and the legal systems to which they are exposed can make them especially prone to bribery and corruption. This paper therefore is focused on how contextual factors fuel corruption in procurement in the Construction Sector. Findings from a two years' study, Options for Reducing Corruption in Procurement: The Case of the Construction Sector in Zambia, reveal that how people are socialised to relate to parents, elders and leaders has an effect on how corruption is perceived. In addition, evolving culture has led to a misinterpretation of cultural norms and its current use is aiding corruption.

]]>Aug 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 8

Rongal D. Watson Miriam Guzman and Benjamin Scheel

We gauged public opinion concerning firearms on college campuses, specifically whether instructors and staff should be permitted to carry weapons in academic spaces, through a 20-question, online survey of college students, instructors and staff at institutions across the United States from September to November 2016. We performed logistic regression to predict support for arming staff and faculty based on responses. Of 483 respondents, only 26 percent thought instructors and staff members should be armed while working or instructing. Being male, nonwhite and of college age were significant predictors of support for arming faculty and staff. We conclude that despite the spread of "campus carry" legislation, public opinion on college campuses remains overwhelmingly opposed to firearms in academic settings. This suggests a significant disconnect between policymakers pressing for more permissive handgun regulations and those most affected by their decision-making.

]]>Aug 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 8

Brandon Graham and Vikram Sundarraman

This paper addresses the topic of feminism as it relates to India and Hindu theology. The connection between specifically Hindu theology and Indian culture is first established. There it can be seen that Indian culture has caused changes in Hinduism, often meant to suit the needs of those who changed it. We hypothesise that there is correlation between a lack of feminist narratives seen in contemporary Hinduism and the intentional shifting in religious practices particularly by British colonialists and Indian nationalists in the 19th century to suit their own needs. This raised the question of if there were more examples of shifting in religious practices toward the Brahmin-, cisgender-, and masculine-dominated form we see today. For this we looked into the iconography of Hinduism and found that paintings in particular showed much more diversity in narrative and sometimes even contradicted narratives found in Hindu texts. We make recommendations for better inclusivity in India today based on these findings.

]]>Aug 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 8

Yosi Apollos Maton

The fight for independence was carried out with a lot of zeal, which the populace embraced with high hopes that these ideologies and promises of our great nationalists would come to fruition within the shortest time possible. Yet, times, opportunities and years have come and gone, still we have nothing or little to show, especially, in the 21st century scenario, where Africa dreams and hopes have been shattered. These ideologies seem unrealistic and the promises are not forth coming. It has little to show except bad governance, crisis, violence, poverty, oppression, marginalization and the moral decay of our rich cultural values and societal structures. One is left with the vexing questions: Where have our great nationalists gone wrong? If indeed their ideologies and promises were realistic, why have the people not grasped their vision and mission, especially the case of the Nigerian entertainment Industry (Nollywood)? Why is it that their creativity promoting very little of these ideologies? Why do they still portray the mentality that they are still puppets in the hands of the colonial master since most of their creativity promotes little of our rich positive cultures and values? Are they not aware that they have tools in their hands that can go a long way to promote those ideologies and fulfill these promises and fan the flame of nation building and promotes its cultural heritage and values until we are there? Why must this great and powerful tool be used as agent of destruction of the Nigerian society and its rich cultural values? Can't they think of lasting legacies that posterity can tell? The paper looks at the brief historical and geographical background of Nigerian society , its ethnic groups and its cultures, then went on to discuss Nollywood and her role in consolidating the development of the Nigerian society and its Cultures. It then went on to look at factors that militated against the effectiveness of Nollywood in promoting national development and cultures. The paper then profers ways forward and round up with a conclusion.

]]>Aug 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 8

Uddhab Pd. Pyakurel

This study seeks to understand the governance system of women labour migration as practiced by the Nepali state through various institutions on the basis of rules, regulations and laws, and explores the interface between the regulations introduced against women migration abroad, existing popular practices, and consequences experienced by women migrants and their families. After a review of the Nepal government's rules and regulations introduced in the recent past, the paper concludes that Nepal still follow restrictive migration policy for women even if it is facilitating male out-migration in the job market abroad by introducing various schemes, rules/regulations and institutions. The often cited positive aspects of migration helped increase the aspiration of women to go abroad even women migration has become more costly, complicated and vulnerable due to the continued restrictive policy by the government of Nepal.

]]>Aug 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 8

Edison C. Gabileo

The main objective of this study was to determine the pre-retirees' plan prior to retirement of the local government employees in the province of Palawan with the following specific objectives: identify the financial; health; social; financial, social, family and spiritual plans of pre-retirees prior to retirement; and suggestions of officials that can help meet the needs of pre-retirees in the LGU. On pre-retirement financial plan: plan the type of GSIS retirement option which will be more advantageous to them by asking advice from GSIS as to which of these retirement options to choose and plan to use expertise to continue earning even when retired; on the pre-retirement health plan was to practice healthy habits and recreational activities that are found in community; the family plan was to consider the spouse and immediate family members during pre-retirement planning and consult legal experts before executing wills and probate to inheritors before retirement; while on social plan: help the needy by joining community and civic organizations; the psychological plan was searching for a life-long learning by vicariously living the lives of people who have survived life's battles and traveling to sacred places (such as the Holy Land in Israel, grottos, Micah, Vatican in Rome and local churches) for spiritual plan; the conclusions was the pre-retirees' plan were all "well-planned" in selected well-being elements of pre-retirement, specifically in the areas of financial and health; but only "planned" in social, family and psychological; and the recommendations was provide a complete pre-retirement on financial, health, social, psychological, family and spiritual program in the local government units.

]]>Aug 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 8

Lea Caragata Sara J. Cumming and Elizabeth C. Watters

Many lone mothers experience significant hardship in their lives, yet some appear resilient in the face of adversity. Understandings of lone mothers' resilience are necessary to develop effective policies and programs; however, research in this area is lacking, including understanding factors that both create hardship, and protect against it. Grounded in a feminist, participatory methodology this study addresses these gaps by engaging 38 Canadian lone mothers' in interviews and focus groups to explore their understandings and experience of resilience. Lone mothers identify a breadth of risk and protective factors organized here into a social exclusion framework so that their compounding and intersecting nature may be more readily identified. The findings shed light on important risk and protective factors in the lives of low income lone mothers and such improved understanding perhaps contests the negative and too readily made judgments about these families.

]]>Aug 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 7

Aida Soko

Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) has resulted in asymmetric decentralization in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in all aspects: political, administrative and fiscal. Decentralization driven by non-economic reasons is rather usual concept, and often the main reasons are political, ethnical or overall country stability. Decentralization model implemented in BiH became huge obstacle not only in reaching efficiency in provision of public services, but also to further economic development. While the purpose of DPA was to stop armed conflict, and while valuable back in time, there is no excuse to keep these solutions for more than 20 years. This paper aims to provide deep insight into experience of selected comparative countries where non-economic reasons initiated decentralization. In addition, it aims to identify patterns and features of administrative, fiscal and political arrangements that perform better in the environment similar to BiH. Analysis of the experience in developed countries identified different models in organizing ethnically divided societies and establishing different forms of cooperation between sub-national government units to increase efficiency. Transitional countries experience shows mixed results in terms of positive effects of decentralization on overall efficiency and citizens' well-being, but there is valuable experience and number of features, which may improve municipal efficiency in BiH as well. Having in mind very limited literature focused on specific BiH context as well as the need to improve efficiency at local community level, this paper takes an important first step in this direction by providing a systematic review of decentralization design in countries that had similar challenges as BiH. The focus of comparative analysis is on the administrative decentralization (territorial organization and responsibility designation), political decentralization (addressing democratic principles) and fiscal independency. Paper has identified certain mechanisms that do not require any or require minor changes in core legislation introduced by DPA. These primarily include activation of cooperation mechanisms already allowed by law as well as improving system of revenue and grant allocation. Democratization still did not reached proper level as mechanisms introduced by DPA do not address rights of minorities, and this has to be changed. Improving municipal efficiency in BiH by applying experience of developed and transitional countries therefore may range from better cooperation according to the existing laws, to substantive changes of legislation.

]]>Jul 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 7

Ade Adeniji and Sade Olagunju

Pragmatic markers of voices are significant given the roles they play in the building and construction of utterances in culture-based texts. They reveal owners of voices thus enabling us to determine authorial preoccupations in literary texts. However, as significant as they are to the determination of voices and authorial perspectives, they have received little attention in linguistic scholarship. Employing the literary pragmatic theory therefore, this study sets out to examine how to detect voice ownership as indicated by pragmatic markers of voices such as references, deixis, pronouns, tenses and related authorial perspectives in Osofisan's Esu and the Vagabond Minstrels (EATVM), so selected, given that it is rich in data. The study reveals that Osofisan employs the pragmatic markers of voices such as references, deixis, personal pronouns, tenses and so on through his and his characters' voices, voice mash, voice trash, and voice crash, relative to issues of social power, moral and religious deviances, and religious beliefs, in EATVM. The study concludes that a study of pragmatic markers of voices enhances an understanding of voice ownership in literary texts towards determining authorial perspectives in post-colonial African conjured textual universes.

]]>Jul 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 7

Ozlem Aydogmus Ordem

Studies on modernization and popular culture have been on the rise in recent decades since modernization has brought about popular culture and its elements. This study aims to focus on the relationship between modernization-popular culture and nine elements composed of critical theory, consumer culture, gender, cinema, media, high/low culture, power, art and image. The study involved 49 undergraduates at a Turkish university majoring in Communication Sciences. In addition, some participants (N= 10) were interviewed regarding the relationship between modernization-popular culture and nine elements. An inductive content analysis was conducted to obtain the results. The study took 14 weeks and contained two questions to search for the relationship between modernization-popular culture and nine elements. The results show that the strongest relationships were composed of the elements of media, cinema and consumer culture, while the weakest relationships were between power, gender and popular culture.

]]>Jul 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 7

Neaz Ahmed

This paper focuses on survival patterns of deserted women in Sylhet City of Bangladesh. It is based on a study with 10(ten) deserted women by using an in-depth interview guide and tape recorder. Even more than other women in Bangladesh, deserted women are an extremely disadvantaged group. They have to play roles as mothers and simultaneously as wage earners to support themselves and their children. They are vulnerable, not only socially but also economically, in comparison to other categories of women. They experience multiple serious, financial problems which compel them to lead a vulnerable livelihood. This paper is based on an empirical study conducted in Sylhet city. The findings of the study, in all likelihood, affect the real picture of survival patterns of deserted women and will provide a platform for developing recommendations for policy reform or adopting new policies. It may also help government and other human development organizations to adopt effective strategies to meet the growing challenges and urgent needs of this vulnerable segment of women and their overall development.

]]>Jul 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 7

Francesco Galletti

According to the Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) approach, the gatekeeper role of the state is a key feature in the Mixed Market Economies (MMEs) coordination channel. Relying upon the ICTWSS dataset, the article investigates how this role was concretely deployed in the labour relations dimension. Special consideration is given to ground how this role took place before the path towards the EMU was set as well as to sketch out the dynamics of change that followed afterwards. A close inspection of the coordination channel allows, indeed, completing the picture about the juxtaposition between Mixed and Coordinated Market Economies that the distributive costs stemming from the Euro-crisis has made extremely salient.

]]>Jul 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 7

Tarkko Oksala Susanna Toivanen and Aino Oksala

The aim of this paper is to promote Architectural Sociology keeping cognition in focus. Firstly architecture, cognition and society are considered in their relationships. Secondly associations promoting cognition, its study and extensions of architectural cognition are discussed. This all is made in order to form a clear conceptual basis to understand architectural action in socio-psychological reality. This is tested by using architectural goal setting as example. Application of the frame in solving recent challenges is commented.

]]>Jul 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 7

Sadia Jamil

This study primarily aims to examine the impact of contextual factors on journalists' safety in Pakistan. The study also analyses the ways safety risks and Pakistan's climate of impunity affect professional journalism in the country. Data have been gathered using the quantitative method of survey and the qualitative method of in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that all surveyed male and female journalists (100%) view the factors of government's and military's threats and pressure; impunity; the country's socio-political situation and laws, religious extremism and social conservatism as most crucial in affecting their safety. On the other hand, 76% and 91% journalists consider a lack of safety training and ineffectiveness of measures as important aspects causing safety risks to them respectively. Drawing on the social responsibility theory, this study suggests that the Pakistani journalists are considerably unable to do 'objective and investigative reporting' freely, truthfully and accurately because of diverse safety threats emerging from internal political and ethnic conflicts; government's, military's and media owners' pressure; law and order situation; religious extremism; conservatism and impunity. Hence, the study questions the notion of media as watch dog and media as the mirror of society in the prevalence of news culture that lacks truthfulness and accuracy. The study invokes for creating professionalism and fostering safe and free journalism necessary for truthful, accurate and impartial reporting in the sake of public's interest and their right to know in Pakistan.

]]>Jul 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 7

Joseph Kwasi Brenyah

Socio-economic vulnerability has gradually gained roots within societies due to inequalities. Most individuals are not able to defend their rights, particularly the poor. Many people with potential have not been able to take up opportunities in life due to a lack of empowerment. Empowering vulnerable groups such as women may be the best way to overcome circumstances such as poverty, poor educational opportunities and social exclusion tendencies. This study identified the various approaches to empowerment, ascertained the association between empowerment and some socio-economic aspects of human life. This study was a systematic review, underpinned by the Middle Range Theory of Community Empowerment. The study noted that, empowerment is not the power granted to an individual or group but rather the measures taken for a person to acquire knowledge, power and skills leading to change in a phenomena. The study revealed that, despite efforts in empowering individuals particularly, women, factors such as educational status, cultural and social factors, health systems and ineffective social protection intervention programmes inhibit the various empowerment processes. The study recommended the need to create fiscal space to fund social protection interventions, give up some outmoded social and cultural practices, and provide education especially for young women.

]]>Jul 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 6

KM Tajbiul Hasan

Education in distance mode by broadcasting media is still most convenient and cost effective to expand and ensure education for all. To impart education in distance mode through the broadcasting media have some basic fundamentals. A success of educational broadcasting fully depends on the appropriate selection of script for accurate people. Thus, it is an essential component of teaching-learning strategies to achieve various national goals—socioeconomic and cultural. The fundamentals of script writing for educational Television and Radio are same. That is-To whom (Listeners/ Viewers), what (Contests) and what for (Educational goal). Writing for radio and television is very different due the technical and imagination perspective. Both media has its own style and mode of presentation. Education through radio should be very distinct, direct and define. Complex topic, sentences & words, which create confusion to the listeners, should try to avoid in all concern. On the other hand, like educational radio programs, television programs have the same formats with some extra benefits to add dances, animation, and computer graphics etc. Television has lot of scope to describe the topic in various ways due to its visual support that's why it seems to be flexible than radio. Today these two electronic media stands for development and cooperation. New forms of communication media like –Internet, multimedia or mobile phone are considered to the very effective media for distance education. These most advanced technologies may not be applicable for all countries like Bangladesh due to the social-economic condition. So, in Bangladesh considering the social economic reality government has been using radio and television broadcasting for distance education broadly since the last two decades. A significant result has already been achieved in the field of mass education of Bangladesh.

]]>Jun 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 6

André Oliveira Costa

The influence of psychoanalysis in the work of Norbert Elias is notorious and recognized by the sociologist himself. The established and the outsider figuration show how individuals are in relationships of interdependence with each other, allowing the dissolution of the antithesis between individual and society. In this paper, we propose to consider how the concept of figuration can contribute as an operator for the field of psychoanalytic practice. So, we will seek to articulate psychoanalysis and Norbert Elias's sociology through the concept of figuration as a methodological operator that helps us understand the subjective processes in psychoanalytic practice.

]]>Jun 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 6

Astha Priyadarshini

Women's Studies as a discipline, has helped in producing knowledge from the perspective of women. The worldview developed by women has gained much interest in India today. This is due to the continuous efforts of women producing knowledge in every field be it arts, science or technology. But the visibility of women and Women's Studies is still a pertinent question asked in the universities teaching women's/ gender studies. Feminists have made several attempts to challenge the patriarchal institutions. Both scholars and activists have tried to break this chain of hierarchical structure. Feminist epistemologies and methodology have also been limited to scholars in Women's Studies. As pointed out by many research scholars, the NGO-isation of the discipline has contributed to this limitation. This marginality in university settings has restricted Women's Studies from becoming the tool it had initially intended to be. The teachings and understandings have also evolved from personal to political and now to individual level. Therefore, as a student of gender studies, one is informed of both the women's movements and Women's Studies. But the experience also tells that the larger part of the society is unaware of these struggles. Also, very essential is to note that one was not aware of both movement and discipline before beginning as a learner of this discipline. This paper is an attempt to underline the marginal preference shown towards Women's Studies by other institutions like universities which have led to limited reach of Women's Studies to NGOs and few other institutions. Policy making and implementation bodies have long been gender insensitive. Educational institutions also need gender sensitive individuals for analyzing and structuring course materials that are apt for a gender aware new generation. Such institutions can potentially answer the question of employability and training of Women's Studies practitioners.

The need for the immediate rehabilitation of the Holy Aedicule of the Holy Sepulchre involved the collaborative efforts done by the religious communities, scientific experts, and policy makers with the aim to secure the structural integrity and sustainable rehabilitation of the monument, which stands as a par excellence landmark of spiritual renewal and worshiping for the generations to come. Using best practices and integrating specific disciplinary expertise knowledge, the rehabilitation project has been throughout relevant and extrovert to the society, engaging the public in order to share problematic as well as scientific findings, to understand and promote its cultural resources. In order to achieve this, an innovative scientific method was developed by the National Technical University of Athens Interdisciplinary Team involving methods and perspectives from different disciplines, namely, from the scientific fields of architecture, civil engineering, surveying engineering, materials science and engineering, information technology, archaeometry and archaeology in dialogue with the religious communities. Reference is made to the cultural policy, highlighting the benefit of the interaction between ideas, institutions, and the common interest for the protection of monuments. The aforementioned, along with the organization programming, the integrated governance of the project, based on management functions, such as planning, budgeting, fundraising, evaluation and quality control, designed a prolific interdisciplinary agenda. This paper presents practical and theoretical work in heritage protection management, communicates the tools involved in master scientific issues, while it seeks to engage the interest of the public in order to interact actively, participate in its protection and add constructively on its future life.

]]>Jun 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 6

Neaz Ahmed

This paper aims at understanding about the socio-economic impact of women entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. Though Bangladeshi women are entering into business sector, they continue to remain vulnerable and marginalized. One of the indications of their marginalization is lack of information and statistics about the situation of women entrepreneurs. This study was therefore carried out focusing on socio-economic impact on entrepreneurship over women lives. For this, exploratory and qualitative research approaches were adopted. All female entrepreneurs of handloom industry in Sylhet City Corporation of Bangladesh were considered as population and data were collected from the purposive sampling method from the population using in-depth interview schedule. Results indicate that their values and reputations have gained betterment along with their business. Nonetheless, these women had to face a number of difficulties while trying to set up their work such as finding a place to open a shop in the market. Market authorities do not believe in women's efficiency, so do the banks. It is difficult for the women entrepreneurs to manage loans from the banks. Most of the respondents had said that they do not face any complications performing their roles as spouse, parents, or homemaker while running the business. Most of the time, their husbands, or other family members encourage them to start and continue a business. After starting the business, most women feel that their status has risen not only within the family but also within the society. Now they enjoy freedom and also contribute economically and to family decision making.

]]>Jun 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 6

Ghulam Safdar Ayysha Abbasi and Riaz Ahmad

Media and political leaders are two edges of river that work parallel for the promotion of democracy. On one hand, free and fair media is considered as a sign of good democracy, on the other hand, political leaders are considered as flowers of democratic garden. The basic objectives of the research rely to analyze the media's and political leader's contribution to the promotion of democracy. The research concluded that media and political leaders both have major contribution to the promotion of democracy but the majority of people is still impressed by the political leaders rather than media. The popularity of political leaders refers to direct communication, Baradariism and personality impacts. On the other hand less popularity of media causes low literacy rate, lake of readership, less access to media and non-analytical capabilities of media contents.

]]>Jun 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 5

Lakshani Willarachchi

Autotopographical objects play a pivotal role in life narratives, and the graphic novel Maus: A Survivor's Tale, by Art Spiegelman is no exception. Based on a close reading and textual analysis of the text, the present study analyses the autotopographical objects in the novel under four categories: photographs, masks, miscellaneous objects of everyday life, and lost autotopographical objects, with a view to expounding the nexus between life narration and autotopographical objects. It was found that autotopographical objects in Maus show how objects enable the life narratives to be constructed and viewed in varied lights, how the autotopographical objects become an embodiment of lives narrated, the significance of the artist's involvement in contextualizing these objects and providing supplementary details, metamorphosis of everyday objects into autotopographical objects in the course of life narration, and the significance and impact of absent autotopographical objects in creating gaps in life narratives while adding layers of meaning through the dynamics of absence and presence.

]]>May 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 5

Giovanna Motta

Over the course of history what are the clothes that, in the societies of the Old Regime, differentiate individuals from each other? What styles and colors choose the hegemonic classes to represent and mark the status differences between them, the emerging classes and the common people? What are the signs and symbols that the sources testify as a political, ethical, aesthetic language? This essay tries to answer these and other questions, an essay conducted on the red thread of change in European countries, political, economic, social change that marks the rhythm through FASHION showing how this represents in a real and symbolic way the role of the dominant classes in power. In the course of history, clothing is transformed according to the new ideas that are affirmed and the different perception of which individuals are aware, so the representation of the self - social and individual - becomes an exclusive or additional language, confirming its expressive validity and the content necessary to decline human typologies, to express them, and even to impose them. Fashion contains history and society, art and harmony of forms, religious principles and moral rules, past present, continuity and discontinuity, in short, the life of human beings of yesterday and today, perhaps even of tomorrow.

]]>May 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 5

Katharina Maria Wagner, M.A

Violence in its different expressions and exercised by various state and non-state actors is currently one of the most pressing problems and challenges for various nations worldwide, as it has adverse effects on the entire political and social life of a population and hence on the democratic quality. Despite these empirical observations, the relationship between violence, violent non-state actors and the quality of democracy is still unclear and under-examined as the prevalent democracy assessments have yet to incorporate these developments sufficiently in their measurements. In the debate about democratic regression through violence, understood as a loss of democratic quality, Mexico is an especially interesting case. After completing its democratic transition in 2000, expectations arose that Mexico would transform to a functioning democracy. However, with the declaration of the war on drugs in 2006 the country slid into a spiral of violence that was unknown up until that point. This violence, which has continued to accelerate until now, as well as the increasing presence of organized criminal groups give cause to analyze whether these factors have an adverse effect on the quality of democracy. The following article will answer this question by analyzing the quality of the Mexican democracy and its development between 2000 and 2015. The analysis is carried out by the empirical application of the 15-Field-Matrix of Democracy, which was complemented by context-specific indicators to measure the mentioned factors. The thesis is that Mexico has experienced a democratic regression due to the presence of organized criminal groups and the high level of violence. The article suggests that violence and the presence of violent non-state actors should generally be included in detail in a democracy assessment to achieve a more valid measurement of democratic quality, and it provides inductive generated indicators to achieve this.

]]>May 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 5

Sándor Illés and Áron Kincses

Circular mobilities have become frequent during the era of globalisation. This contribution provides empirical evidence relevant to the long-term international circular migrants admitted into Hungary in economic crisis period 2009-2012 in comparison with before decline of 2006-2008. The principal aim of this paper is to quantify some socio-demographic effects of economic crisis on the international circulators. Initially, we define the circulation within the conceptual framework between the continuum of transnationalism and translocalism. This is achieved by performing the critical literature review on definitions of circulation followed by the international migration and economic contexts. Then we analyse macro-scale data set on long-term international circular migrants based on an original statistical method. In the light of absolute and relative indicators we study changes in time series of circulators in comparison with first immigrants as reference group. We seek to gain insight into the change of socio-demographic composition of international circulators by gender, age and family status. We embed the empirical results into the recent migratory context and try to find possible explanations and interpretations of the effects measured. Lastly, we guess a new characteristic of multiple movers, namely international circulators are partially resistant to some negative effects of economic crisis.

]]>May 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 5

Ranka Perućica Biljana Sladoje Bošnjak and Ivana Zecevic

Employers often have prejudices and negative stereotypical attitudes regarding the employment of persons with disabilities (PwD). This is a part of the conclusion of D1.1 Report - Identify and analyze the needs of employers within School-to-Work Transition for Higher education students with disabilities in Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro (Trans2Work) project. We are interested in whether there is a difference in attitude between employers in the public and private sectors when it comes to hiring persons with disabilities. The aim of the research was to examine the attitudes of employers in the private and public sectors regarding the employment of persons with disabilities. We hypothesized that employers in the public sector had more positive attitude towards the employment of persons with disabilities in relation to employers in the private sector. The study sample consisted of companies from the private and public sectors in one of two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Republic of Srpska (60 companies in the private sector and 60 companies in the public sector). In this research, we used the Questionnaire about employment of the people with disabilities, which examines the attitude of the employers about employment of the persons with disabilities. The Questionnaire consisted of 19 questions. Employers were asked questions related to the employment of persons with disabilities. The Questionnaire had good reliability and Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0,89. We used two methods in the study: the survey method and the method of theoretical analysis. We used the survey method to conduct data collecting through research instruments, data processing and analysis of the results, while the methods of theoretical analysis were necessary for collection and selection of relevant information from the former methodological and subject-related researches. Results confirmed the assumption that employers in the public sector had more positive attitude towards the employment of persons with disabilities compared with the employers in the private sector. Complete and thorough analysis would be shown in the paper. We hope that the results will contribute to the existing literature related to the employment of persons with disabilities and project Trans2Work in general.

]]>May 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 5

Salim Brake

In this article, I offer a brief examination of the political model in Israel and review Arab representation in the Knesset on the basis of the model I propose for describing Israel's political system—that of the semi-democratic regime. I do not believe that the models proposed by other scholars are applicable to the Israel case. My assumption is that the parliamentary representation of Arabs in Israel is blocked and ineffective; hence, Israel cannot be seen as a full democracy. I will review the evolution of Arab parliamentary representation in Israel, its function, and its outcomes as a test case for the claim of the manipulation of representation and exclusion from the political sphere. I cannot discuss all the aspects of the Israeli regime that lead to this proposed model, but will focus on the patterns and trends in Arab Knesset membership, until recently, as a blatant example of a semi-democracy. I will assert that the Arabs' exclusion from the centers of political power means that Israel cannot be a democratic and egalitarian regime, but only an ersatz democracy, whose goal is to paint Israel as a democracy for external consumption, but nothing more.

]]>May 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 4

Seria Yamazaki

In the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2000-1650 BCE), various personal adornments were used as grave goods. This paper concentrates on the regional variability of those adornments by analyzing hundreds of tombs located in Egypt. In addition, 'ideal' assemblages and colors of personal adornments for funerary rituals will be examined through iconography such as frise d'objets, mummy masks, and anthropoid coffins. The results show that during the late Middle Kingdom, broad collars were buried with the deceased exclusively in the Memphis-Faiyum region, while single-string adornments were used everywhere. Moreover, while royal broad collars resembled images seen on the body containers, non-royal broad collars were quite different. It is apparent that the ideal personal adornments were exclusive to royalty while other personal adornments were used generally, regardless of the region, for those with either royal or non-royal status.

]]>Apr 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 4

Robert Garfield

The island of São Tomé, located off the west-central coast of Africa, became a template for slave-based sugar islands elsewhere in Africa and in the West Indies. The common assumption is that slaves, taken to the island from the nearby African mainland, remained so forever, as did their descendants. In fact, many slaves won their freedom, through manumission, purchase, royal proclamation and, especially, rebellion. By the mid-16th Century, ex-slaves and their descendants actually ruled the island, both economically and politically, even though slavery still remained the basis of the island's economy and social structure. This paper looks at the origins and evolution of São Toméan society, noting the ways in which enslavement could be overcome or ended, and what the practical effects of this were for the island's social, economic, and political future. It reviews the many violent rebellions produced by the slave system and how these altered the lives of those who still remained enslaved.

]]>Apr 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 4

Richard Hill

The first discussions regarding issues that are now included under the rubric "Internet governance" date back to the 1990s. Discussions were formally brought into the arena of intergovernmental discussions in 1998, at the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and continued in particular at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005. Discussions have tended to be difficult, and little consensus has been reached, regarding a number of issues. The factors that make discussions difficult are financial, geopolitical, but also ideological. Some of the ideological approaches are idealistic and propose governance models that are new and innovative; other approaches are conservative and propose either to continue unchanged the current Internet governance arrangements, or to apply traditional intergovernmental mechanisms to at least some aspects of Internet governance. This paper concludes that an agreed international framework is needed in order to ensure that Internet governance can evolve to meet the interests of all concerned parties.

The family is the fundamental unit of society. It creates tribes, clans, communities, societies and nations. Moreover, family is responsible for the wellbeing, personality development, and progress of the individual. Divorce, on the other hand, produces chaos in the family life and instead of achieving the above cited objective vitally damages the social life of the conjugal partners along with the children and the families of both partners. Divorce is not a desirable act in any religion of the world. Islam is the major religion of the world and dislike divorce that is why there is a considerable difference in the divorce rate in Islam as compared to the other religions of the world. Present study was conducted in Pakistan. Punjab province was selected randomly. Three districts were selected from the Punjab province by simple random sampling technique. A total of two hundred affected persons/informants (130 males and 70 females), and 100 unaffected informants/ persons (50 males and 50 females) (300 in total), were interviewed including. The informants were selected randomly, and no appointment was made prior to the visits. Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), The Fidelity Level (FL), Direct Matrix Ranking, and Preference Ranking (PR) were employed during the data analysis process. As far as the results of this research study are concerned we came to know 9.66 % respondents were of the view that financial problems, 14.83% blamed unemployment, 5.62% pointed out lack of trust, 6. 74% said higher education, 5.17% informed religious conflict, and 5.62 said misunderstanding were the major reasons of their respective divorces. The study concluded that divorce rate in Pakistan is increasing gradually which will be a devastating thing for the survival of family life.

]]>Apr 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 4

Richard Jankowski

There is abundant evidence that voters are relatively uninformed about government. But, economic retrospective voting, via the "miracle of aggregation", overcomes this problem in democracies. However, there is also evidence that voters are myopic. Hence, voters can be manipulated by an adept administration. I review past empirical studies of myopic voting. I argue that they are characterized by two limitations: one, they assume a unidimensional issue space; and two, they rely on ecological inference, because they use aggregate economic performance and election results to infer myopic voting. Achen and Bartels [1] update previous empirical studies by including an increased number of elections and using a control for the multidimensionality of the issue space, i.e., voters' choice is based on issues other than the economy. But their analysis, based on aggregate data, still requires an ecological inference. By contrast, Hellwig and Marinova [2] present a unique micro-level study, designed by them that measure the time-horizon of individuals and thus avoid the ecological inference problem. However, their study still assumes a unidimensional issue space. I address both the multidimensionality and ecological inference problems by retesting both the Achen and Bartels' and Hellwig and Marinova studies. I find the preponderance of evidence rejects the myopia hypothesis.

]]>Apr 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 4

Alenka Čuš

This article presents a model for studying diaspora communities as independent structures applied to the Slovenian-Canadian case and where the synchronous examination of diaspora communities and the literary system is the central subject of study. This paper presents an established research model, which does not examine diaspora communities as a bridge between the country of origin and the country of acceptance, but as a third autonomous, equivalent space. The model enables extra and intratextual analysis of literature, treatment of written and spoken language use and examination of formal and informal institutional situations of the diaspora community. This methodology is especially effective in the analysis of the diaspora community under contemporary conditions, where we find only the remnants of a once powerful system that have managed to be maintained over many decades up to the present, which is not possible from a distance (e.g. from Slovenia). Using the researcher's two years of fieldwork as well as the intra-community status of the researcher, the community was observed with the taxonomy of variables proposed by Howard Giles et al. (1971) that determines the empirical reality of minority communities. Due to the shortcomings of this approach in the analysis, we have established a more appropriate model, which not only enables the monitoring and assessment of the community, but on the basis of the theory of realization of national interpellation proposed by Marcello Potocco (2012), we are able to increase the actual vitality and strengthen the (Slovenian) national identity. The model allows participation in the activity, not only for observing, but for implementation of additional activity as well, according to the existing situations and needs of the community. The vitality of the community was re-assessed and the results compared with the pilot assessment. The comparison demonstrated that the proposed approach is effective. In the Slovenian community, in Ontario, the material factors of national interpellation are: socio-institutional context (interconnection of institutions), education, media, literary system (extra and intratextual), publishing market, the use of language (written, spoken) and other (religion, economy, music, sport and gastronomy).

]]>Apr 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 4

Jørgen Veisland

The article applies Simone de Beauvoir's reflections on authentic being in her work The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947) and Julia Kristeva's concept of marginal womanhood as developed in Powers of Horror (1982) to central women characters in Njal's Saga and to the character of Njal himself. The woman Hallgerd, wife of Gunnar, asserts her power and independence by refusing to give Gunnar two locks of her hair to make bowstrings out of. The gift denied brings about the death of Gunnar. Hallgerd's refusal constitutes the culmination of a dialectic preconditioned upon de Beauvoir's concept of authentic being as a lack of being precipitating a continuous revolt and an on-going creativity, the subjective creation of being in opposition to an objective, imposed condition. The women of the saga, Hallgerd, Bergthora (wife of Njal), and Queen Gunnhild, possess a fury described by Kristeva as a marginal otherness that cannot be sublimated. Fury propels freedom and independence. The struggle for freedom is continuous as it is predicated upon the insight that the genuinely ethical task of women and men consists in seeking freedom while realizing the ambiguity of their situation: the freedom of the subject is created in opposition to an oppressive objective condition. The women of the saga engage in actions whose violence is designed to be an overt parody on the actions perpetrated by the men in the family feud. Some of the men are also aware of this ambiguity and manifestly display an ironic and self-ironic attitude to fate, i.e. the objective condition, understanding that it is a construction and a projection from within and that it is within their power to change it. This becomes apparent in Njal whose gender is indeterminate as he combines feminine and masculine features and as he accepts his death (by burning) not as the outcome of an incontrovertible fate but as a free choice.

]]>Apr 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 4

Aditya V. Nair and Vishnu V. S

India has the second largest tribal population in the world. According to the 2011 Census, tribes constitute 2% of the total population. India has around 461 ethnic groups and they constitute India's indigenous population. India has provided the tribal communities with several protections through laws and constitutional provisions. Despite this they are suffering from many problems. Globalisation ushers in mammoth changes which influence the social, economic, political and even cultural scenario of a country. In India, the mainstream globalisation model has neglected the inclusive growth of economy and has largely concentrated on promotion of gross domestic product, thus creating unhealthy consequences. Its impact has been drastic on the tribal who have been displaced in large numbers by developmental projects which have ignored effective rehabilitation. The neo-liberal movement has not only deprived them of their identity but also their livelihood rights pushing them into abject poverty. The impact of globalisation on the tribal life is also evident in the State of Kerala. The 2011 census report records the overall tribal population in the state as 4,84,839. There are 36 tribal communities across Kerala and 'Paniya' tribes are the biggest tribes among them. The highest concentration of Scheduled Tribes in Kerala is in Wayanad followed by Idukki. The rapid technological advancement and interplay of market forces and the rising power of neo liberalism has led to eviction of the tribal from their land, denying them a right to live with human dignity. Examples of such invasions are ample in the State of Kerala. The paper discusses the impact of globalisation on the Tribal community in Kerala. It seeks to find answers and give suggestions as to how globalisation must be managed in a sustainable manner, respecting the rights of tribal people particularly their right to livelihood. The paper concludes by making suggestions as to how globalisation must be made more sustainable, keeping in view the rights of Tribal communities in Kerala. Strong steps to be taken by the Government to mobilise more assistance to these communities. Any growth model that is adopted must give due respect to the rights of subsistence and cultural identity of these communities. The impact of globalisation should be such that it makes those who already have a comfortable existence more comfortable and plunge the others into a more dilapidated state.

]]>Apr 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 3

Phan Van Kien

By analyzing the characteristics of the discussion process in the Vietnamese electronic newspaper's space through a survey of a column on Tuoi Tre Newspaper will illustrate four basic characteristics of the discussion on electronic newspapers: 1/ Characteristics of a "virtual sphere"; 2 / personal identity of the discussants; 3 / limits of discussion; 4 / leadership of Leader Opinion. From this analysis, the article will discuss more the levels of discussion, the limits of the discussion process in public sphere of electronic newspapers in Vietnam.

]]>Mar 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 3

Jaron Daniel Schoone

One of the definitions of philosophy is: the study of presuppositions. While many philosophers and scholars agree that human history exhibits moral progress, there seems to be confusion about the presupposed moral ontology that such a view entails. Moral ontology is the sub discipline of ethics which concerns questions such as whether moral facts exist objectively, where 'objective' means that such facts would exist independently from anyone's personal beliefs (mind-independent), or subjectively, where 'subjective' means that such facts depend on the beliefs and/or desires of persons (mind-dependent). This paper concludes that moral progress requires an objective moral ontology. Consecutively, this paper will raise considerable doubts concerning the idea that the objective ontological foundation of moral progress can be natural. On a natural ontological foundation (such as provided by evolutionary ethics) either moral progress appears to be non-objective or it seems to be altogether illusory.

]]>Mar 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 3

Perpetual Nancy Baidoo Kodom Michael Kodom and Kojo Senah

Despite the crucial role hospital assisted delivery plays in reducing maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity rates in Ghana, there continue to exit a gap between women who fully utilize antenatal care service but deliver outside the hospital. This study was conducted in Assin Fosu in the Central Region of Ghana, where maternal mortality rate is higher than the national average. It was to examine why women prefer to deliver outside the hospital. A qualitative approach was adopted to gather data through an in-depth-interview from 45 respondents. The results revealed that the use of TBAs and home delivery were preferred by some women despite the availability of hospitals because a number of them believed that institutional delivery was only aimed at women who experience obstetric complications. Attitude of public health workers and financial constraints were the two major factors that prevented women from accessing and using institutional deliveries.

]]>Mar 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 3

Pompi Banerjee Raj Merchant and Jaya Sharma

This paper seeks to share what Bondage-Domination-Sado-Masochism/Kink might offer to feminist understandings of sexuality, gender and power. It has been written by members of the Kinky Collective, a group that seeks to raise awareness about BDSM in India. The paper addresses four key themes. The first theme relates to the subversion of gender and sexual norms in kink from a feminist lens. It challenges popular notions of BDSM which seem to reflect heteropatriarchy, evoking images of, typically, a cisman dominating a ciswoman, making her submit to his desires. The paper argues that this assumption invisibilises male submissiveness with female dominants as well as queer/same sex kink. Even if a seemingly 'mainstream' submissive role is chosen by a woman, it has the capacity to be feminist as roles and dynamics are intentional, discussed, negotiated and consented to by all involved unlike in 'real life' where power dynamics are rarely acknowledged. Since kink is solidly in the area of playfulness and experimentation, it also makes for a safe space for gender transgressive persons. The second theme addressed by the paper related to Kink, Feminism and Desire. It argues that kink enables a paradigm shift from consent for harm reduction to consent for enabling pleasure and the exploration of desires. It offers another paradigm shift, away from false consciousness to one that brings to focus on the unconscious. In this third theme of the unconscious, the paper challenges the false binary of sexual fantasies being 'OK' vs. 'not OK'. The unconscious allows for a link between the personal and political such that our politics is less judgmental. Being in that space where our desires seem to collide with our politics might help challenge the overly rational framework of feminism and help us move perhaps from a politics of certainty to a politics of doubt. The fourth theme of the paper relates to the question of Power in Kink. It argues that kink challenges binary notions of powerful and powerfulness because submission is powerful and that it is precisely because the submissive submits that the Dominant can dominate. Using these four subthemes, we argue that kink can contribute to feminist thought and praxis in India.

]]>Mar 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 3

Carter A. Wilson

While analyzing Obergefell (same sex marriage) and other select court decisions related to identity oppression (the oppression of groups identifiable by race, gender or sexual orientation), I demonstrate the limits of a traditional textualist and originalist approach and the advantages of a critical theory approach to legal analysis. Although I define both of these approaches, I focus on the application of critical theory to an analysis of Supreme Court decisions that sustain identity oppression. Critical theory focuses on the manner in which the dominant culture biases the decisions of Supreme Court judges against racial, gender and sexual orientation minorities. I illustrate that in Obergefell, both the dissenting and majority opinions applied a traditional textualist approach. However, the difference between the two opinions arose not from textualism but from the manner in which the dominant culture biased the judgment of the dissenters, distorted their concept of liberty and rights, and left them blind to the dignity of members of the identity group. Although I applaud the "new textualism," I argue that it does not go far enough. While focusing on methods of analysis, it pays too little attention to identity biases in the dominant culture. I argue that the dominant culture contains images, stories, ideas and assumptions about identity groups that diminish the dignity and humanity of their members. This culture operates to legitimize and normalize patterns of identity oppression. Although, there has been much progress in civil rights policies, this problem of the dominant culture persists in constitutional law today.

]]>Mar 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 3

Roshan Rathod

India is an agrarian country where, 80% of its agricultural labour is performed by women. Yet, she is not recognized as a farmer as being a farmer is synonymous to owning agricultural land. The land ownership statistics are obscure for women with only 12% of the operational land holding in India and 15% in the state of Maharashtra in particular. This study through its in depth understanding of women's farming collectives in the 3 districts of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Beed in the state of Maharashtra provides insights in the functioning, resource sharing patterns with respect to land, labour, seeds and water, and puts forward a case for collective action and its benefits in terms of accessing resources where absence of land holding for women farmers exists. The study in the larger context highlights the interesting experiments that women themselves are engaging in and growing organic produce while creating a collective space which is an economic as well as a social space. Ecological sustainability, economic democracy and social well-being are manifested in the nature of these collectives themselves. The main aim of this work is to ensure recognition of women as farmers and provide a platform for them to access land rights collectively.

]]>Mar 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 3

Siti Masyitah and Kusharisupeni

Background: Teenage pregnancy is high-risk pregnancies are associated with a high incidence of premature birth, low birth weight (LBW), and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Aim: We examined the relationship between gynecological age and birth weight and chronological age with birth weight in teenage mothers in eight, Puskesmas Kota Bekasi. We determined differences in the strength of the relationship between gynecological age and chronological age with birth weight in teenage mothers in Bekasi. Research methods: This is a cross-sectional study to investigate the correlation between gynecological age and chronological age as an independent variable, with birth weight as the dependent variable. Result. Mothers with gynecological age <4 years than their chronological age had a 4 fold risk of having a baby weighing <3000 grams, which is the birth weight-related to non-communicable diseases in adulthood, and mothers with chronological age < 16 years had a 2 times higher risk of giving birth to babies weighing <3000 grams. Pre-pregnancy stature, pre-pregnant BMI, the increase in weight during pregnancy and anemia were found to be confounding factors in the relationship between gynecological age and chronological age with birth weight of babies. Conclusion: Gynecological age and chronological age are associated with infant birth weight in teenage mothers in Bekasi 2015. Gynecological age is more strongly correlated with birth weight compared with chronological age. Suggestion: It is advisable to delay the first pregnancy for women in Indonesia to at least 18 years of age. Another study is done by looking at the risk of gynecological age and chronological age with low birth weight and stunted growth.

]]>Mar 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 2

Domenico Fracchiolla

]]>Feb 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 2

S. A. Grigoriev

The article is devoted to two episodes that allow us to speak about the presence of long-distance connections and contacts (or migrations) between the Urals and Europe during the Eneolithic and Bronze Age. The earlier Eneolithic contacts are represented by the Ural megaliths, which have parallels in Northwestern Europe. Later contacts are reflected in Bronze artifacts of the Seima-Turbino type and in tin alloys penetrating to Central and Western Europe from the east in the Late Bronze Age.

]]>Feb 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 2

Kyaw Thu Han

This research paper examines the possible effects of hydropower dams on downstream communities through a case study of the proposed Hat Gyi dam on Salween River in Kayin State, Southern Part of Myanmar. The purpose of this paper is to find out how local people's livelihoods and ownership of land have been affected by the proposed dam and in what way men and women voice their concerns at the time of the project were being planned and finally to find out the engagement of government authorities or civil societies to the downstream communities of Hat Gyi Dam. I do qualitative method to know the situation properly. The local people believe that the consequences of building the Hat Gyi dam will have effect on their livelihoods and income of the local communities seriously. The dam will have effect on the agriculture production in the region and consequently the regular income of the local people. The local people do not have any chance to raise their concerns, especially women. This paper concludes that although both men and women have lost their livelihood and farmland, women have suffered more due to struggles for daily life. Voice of women cannot be raised during or after the dam has been built due to existing gender discrimination in the society. By analyzing the data I collected from in depth interviews, I conclude that the consequences of hydropower dams would be very bad on local people, especially on women. This socioeconomic impact analysis of a large infrastructure development project provides insight into the unequal relationship among government, construction companies and the local people, the local economy; it determines the portion of the population that benefits and the portion of the population that suffers the cost. By using that insight, I hope policy makers can help to reduce the cost of suffering while without damaging the benefits.

]]>Feb 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 2

Marta Pérez-Ibáñez and Isidro López-Aparicio

This article aims to diagnose certain characteristics of the resilient personality in the Spanish artists who developed their artistic careers in the years before the economic crisis that began in 2008 and who have suffered the resulting loss in their activity and their economy. Along with sources of positive psychology that analyze resilience as an individual's personal and social ability to effectively overcome situations of crisis, this paper is based on the research developed by the authors in recent years from data provided by more than 1,100 visual and plastic artists in Spain, a wide survey about the economic situation of this sector nowadays and the evolution since the beginning of the economic crisis. It also seeks to determine whether there is a resilient artist profile, which through personal, social and professional tools, has reoriented his career and maintains his artistic activity as the main source of income. The methodology used, both analytic and descriptive, allows determining not only what characteristics of the resilient personality may be detected in this group of artists, but also which tools they use to survive the crisis in the current art market.

]]>Feb 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 2

Mónica Díaz Pontones and Miguel Monroy Farías

The prison experience is not exclusive to those, for whom the State has removed their freedom. According to Heidegger, humans can live in a prison for our entire existence. The family of origin, the one you build, school, among others, may be true prisons from which it is incredibly difficult to separate. However, the actual experience of being enclosed by walls has peculiar qualities; therefore, the central concern of this research work is on the limit situation occurred within prison and the return home from it. One can say that certain events that occur inside the prison come to be, for some inmates, a limit situation. However, one must ask: What kinds of events are we talking about? What is it that occurs and how do these events reveal a threshold, a limit? How is this type of situation made to happen through speech? And how do you return home after a limit situation? Moreover, we assume that the return home is not merely a biographical accident, we do not only speak of the customs and 'prison practices' learned during confinement or of the punishment, penalties or multiple activities, tasks and encounters the newly freed have to undertake on their return. Above all, it tells us about the suffering that comes from failing to reach what is desired; of those appropriator events that occurred during imprisonment, those certain processes of subjectivation that have to do with the relationship that is established with oneself and with others, with the different and complex ways of relating and becoming a subject of one's own existence; it tells us of the 'vision of oneself' and notices how the 'narrative identity' is formed through the 'given speech'.

]]>Feb 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 2

Dr. Etleva Domi

Living in the new era of "Bridging the Digital Divide: making the world's cultural and scientific heritage accessible to all", the article aims to present the mission of Albanian librarian community as a "builder" of "virtual cultural bridges" between the past and present, - by focusing mainly to the National Library of Albania. Such article provides a shortly background information on the technological revolution development in Albania and increased clients/users attention to digital information and/or digital content in the rich cultural environment where we are leaving. The author pays attention to Albanian National Library Strategy as the keeper of National Memory, its role in the knowledge age of Internet, its initiatives/projects in the national or international level, its achievements in building the Albanological Digital Library (e-Albanica), as well as its impact on the broader librarian community. Focusing on Albanian librarians' efforts to make available on-line at anytime and anywhere the cultural resources for all users,- even for the generations to come,- the study provides the promotion of Albanian richness cultural heritage in the world portals of present time, as well as the preserving of the cultural and scientific treasure. As a conclusion, the "Albanian Cultural Heritage by a click of mouse" is a "new channel" in the universe of knowledge breaking the concept of "physical boundaries", "building bridges" and "connecting cultures across the world".

]]>Feb 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 2

Soji Oyeranmi

It is incontestable that Ibadan presents a despicable environmental picture. In fact, Francis, Egbhokare's revised Standard version of Professor J.P Clark's Ibadan: 'Ibadan/oozing blob of rot and mold squashed and splattered among human wastes/ like Bodija market in the rain' vividly captured the filthy nature of 21st century Ibadan. Indeed, like most of the Nigeria urban areas, there is little evidence of any realistic physical planning. Visits to major streets and residential areas especially the core city centers show a prevalence of uncontrolled heap of refuse in open spaces and all pervasive repulsive odour of open sewers. There is also infrastructural decay: deplorable roads, pitifully inadequate water supply, erratic electricity supply and acute shelter shortage. The picture is generally that of urban disarray. At the heart of problem is the ubiquitousness of non-industrial and industrial pollutants. Individual and corporate bodies are reckless in waste storage and disposal often resulting in environmental hazards inimical to animal and human health. Despite the above environmental challenges, little attention is currently given to the problems. Indeed, many have concluded that filthiness in Ibadan is cultural in origin as the people are dirty by nature. This is why this paper is set to: establish the interdependence of nature and culture on one hand and sanitation and the environment on the other; investigate the root of sanitation crisis in Ibadan; identify stakeholders and their roles in environmental management in Ibadan; examine the efficacy of the governmental strategies in environmental management in Ibadan; assess peoples' attitude and perception to personal hygiene, environmental management and the implications of on their health; suggest some ways out of the crisis.

]]>Feb 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Satoe Nakahara

This paper considers the various perceptions of victims of radiation and the suffering they experience from the radiation disaster. Many studies have been conducted on the adverse impacts of radiation. However, the discomfort and anxieties experienced by people were often ignored or dismissed as anecdotal evidence or emotionalism with no policy relevance. In this paper, findings are described from long-term work with the Rongelap community documenting the impact of radiation exposure from US nuclear testing as measured by changes in behavior and language. This paper shows that ecosystem changes from H-bomb radiation rendered traditional forms of knowledge about the natural environment meaningless; this is not to be confused with a loss of explicit knowledge, but it means that the knowledge is no longer applicable to the current situation. 'The people of Rongelap, Rongerik, and Ailinginae, like other Marshallese, had a keen understanding of local environmental conditions, resources, and ecosystemic dynamics. Ecosystem knowledge was essential to survival. Atoll resources provided water, food building materials, tools, transportation, medicine, toys, and ceremonial items.' In other words, nuclear testing resulted in the loss of some kinds of cultural knowledge. This is important to understand, because subsistence societies require more than uncontaminated natural resources to thrive. They also require knowledge of the natural environment. Simply transplanting a living culture to another location of similar size and geographic position does not work.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Jose Pascal da Rocha and Ratha Khuon

This paper explores the lessons learned from the nexus between elections and conflict prevention. It underscores that electoral processes are linked to democratic control by the citizens and, thus, paramount to good governance and accountability of political actors. These factors contribute legitimacy to the governments and, ultimately, promote conflict prevention, conflict transformation, and peace infrastructures. Drawing on the cases of Benin and Uganda, this study will examine the conditions and variables of the contexts that either support or hinder leaders to relinquish power according to constitutional term limits, explore the role of political parties and non-governmental organizations as intermediaries of civic dialogue between the governments and their citizens, and elaborate on the prospects of project democracy and its linkages to peace infrastructures and conflict prevention.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Capuzzo Fiorella Maria Bernadette

Wellbeing at work is a basic goal of active labor market policies to reach a better productivity all over the world. The legislative decree n. 150/2009 has introduced in Italy a system of annual verification of the level of health and well-being of workers and employees in organizations of all sizes, of the evaluation system adopted and of the judgment expressed by the boss. It aims to know employees' opinions about the standard of health, wellness, relationship, evaluation system and management. This paper focuses on the perception concerning wellbeing at work in a public administration. According to the law a questionnaire with 82 items about self-confidence, health stress, discrimination, evaluation system and boss appraisal was distributed and employees should fill it up in an anonymous way. The search involved about 300 employees in a length of 2 years and it was considered a great opportunity to encourage a positive mood, to reinforce the institutional vision and mission of the public administration and to contrast corruption. The results were interesting as less than half of employees returned the filled form and all tested groups but the managers expressed a totally negative estimation. The author tries to investigate the reason why wellness is a false illusion in the Regional Council of Lombardy and to underline a possible solution.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

H. Pharaoh M. Smith and J. Frantz

Interventions to combat engagement in health risk behaviours (HRB) amongst youth produces mixed results. Engagement in HRBs continues to increase with adverse effects on health and well-being. This manuscript reports on a study that attempted to demonstrate the usefulness of Intervention Mapping (IM) in developing contextually relevant programmes with increased buy-in from stakeholders, and the potential to effect behavioural change. The present study used a modified Intervention Mapping (IM) framework that included the first five IM operational steps: 1) Needs assessment (Survey), 2) Identifying performance objectives (Concept Mapping), 3) Methods and strategies (Systematic review), 4) Programme development (Triangulation of all the components in the preceding steps) and 5) Feasibility of the designed programme (Delphi Study). The manuscript demonstrated how the framework enabled the use of multiple methodologies to develop a programme that was methodologically rigorous and empirically grounded. The focus is not on the results of the various steps, but on demonstrating how the steps were applied to facilitate programme development. Ethics clearance was obtained from the UWC Senate Research Committee and all ethics principles observed. The results demonstrate that IM is an appropriate conceptual framework for collaboration that enhances the resultant programme at various levels: theoretical/ conceptual; methodological and practical application/ intervention.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Khadija Javed Khan

The day of 11 March 2011 will be sadly remembered in the history of the rise and rise of nuclear power since its discovery a couple of centuries ago due to Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant accident, the third in the series of colossal nuclear accidents after 'Three Mile Island' (USA) and 'Chernobyl' (Ukraine, former Soviet Union). Each of these accidents reminded the international community of the risk inherent in nuclear technology, however, the demand for the so called clean energy and assertive approach of nuclear industry continued to push forward proliferation of technology in power generation. Five years down the line and despite government efforts to normalize the situation, the apprehensions about Fukushima evacuees' resettlement, economic uplift, political stability, governance and fulfillment of human rights including health consequences of radiation from Fukushima fall out on the affected population and workers, still linger on. This paper provides an account of post-disaster multi-faceted issues and challenges that came in the wake of disaster during the period 2011-2016 as seen through the lens of media and assessed in the prospects of human rights. The policy analysis is framed within the scope of the UN 'Bill of Rights' in four thematic areas: natural/fundamental rights and liberties, political and socio-economic perspective, development, technological and environmental perspective, and governance and legal perspective.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Miguel Monroy Farías and Mónica Díaz Pontones

Based on the complexity theory, it is possible to understand the diversity of elements and connections involved in human coexistence. From the systemic point of view, the development of thought processes which are strategic, creative, critical or argumentative, is an element of dignified coexistence, because it favors dialogue, debate or consensus. But attitudes of respect, tolerance and support for human plurality in terms of ways of thinking, feeling and living are also essential. The research assumption is that teaching thinking skills and attitudes could lead to intelligent and respectful behavior in human coexistence. Specifically, college students' beliefs about the need to promote different ways of thinking were analyzed. This is a qualitative phenomenological research. Students from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Group A) and the Autonomous University of Mexico City (Group B) were investigated about their beliefs on how the development of thought contributes to social coexistence, specifically about creative thinking, strategic thinking, critical thinking and argumentative thinking. Results: the beliefs of students who think creatively lead to a problem solving social interaction, or a thinking about a better world. Thinking in a convenient way allows you to combat violence or improve human communication. Thinking critically helps analyze whether actions are suitable for human coexistence and among others, if we reflect to analyze whether we act in a relevant way or on the importance of the benefits of the rest of the thinking skills and abandonment of mediocrity.

Studies conducted in educational settings show that animals attract and maintain the attention of children. The calming effects of animals are especially valuable in children with attention deficit, hyperactivity and behavioral disorders. The primary goal was to improve the emotional well-being, in a special education school, of children with intellectual disabilities, attention problems and/or hyperactivity and behavioral disorders. A Longitudinal, Observational Study was designed, which consisted of a community intervention based on animal-assisted therapy (AAT), and performed at a Primary Care Center (PCC). Twelve weekly group sessions were held with therapy dogs; a nurse and a doctor from the PCC participated with training in AAT as well as teachers. The intervention was carried out in two classrooms at the school. The sample size was 12 children with an average age of 12.7 (SD±4.4) years. Variables studied: attention, happiness, relaxed, respect of turn. The overall improvement of the four variables was statistically significant (p <0.001), evolving in an ascending and progressive way. Throughout the sessions, a work dynamic was achieved with improved attention and respect of turns; happiness and relaxation that reflect emotional well-being remain at high levels, with the dog acting as a facilitator of the therapy. Primary Health Care can contribute to improving the quality of life of children with special needs and at risk of social exclusion by means of community interventions.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Matthijs Gardenier

This article focuses on a French anti-refugee vigilante group: Sauvons Calais. Linked to the radical far-right, it aims to mobilize the population against the presence of migrants in Calais. The goals of this nationalist group are the establishment of self-defense groups against refugees and the expulsion of all migrants. Its activities also take the form of vigilantism: calls for self-justice, patrols, direct action. We will also dwell on the cloudy links between the group and law enforcement agencies. Studying the emergence of this type of collective group is particularly interesting: given the situation in Europe, it is likely that these types of groups will start multiplying across the continent.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Abubakar Ahmed

Nigeria appears to be under siege from the cankerworm of corruption that has continued to retard the fabric of its development. While it appears that the worst hit by the problem of corruption are the ordinary people, the under privileged class; the institutional weaknesses induced by corruption have worked to ensure that the privileged class also suffer from its consequences. Fast rewinds into pre 2015, two issues were at the centre as far as the current anti-corruption effort is concerned. Firstly, there was the attempt to redefine the boundaries of corruption as contained in a remark by President Goodluck Jonathan that stealing is not corruption. Secondly, the gang-up by the opposition outside and within the ruling PDP, which coalesced to form the APC to, among others, fight corruption. Now that the 'chips' are 'down', the body language of some of the political elites towards the fight against corruption appears to have changed. This study distillated these various discordant tunes and concluded, amongst others that the fight against corruption has rekindled public perception on the phenomenon of corruption and is likely to further shape political events especially in the build up to the country's 2019 election.

Perception is an agent's subjective experiential evaluation of the phenomenal which surrounds man, revealing his consciousness of it and his intentionality towards the object which constitute it. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire from the host community with 300 respondents' sample size. Information was sought pertaining to the demographic characteristics of the respondents and the impacts of the tourist attraction on the host community both the positive and the negative aspects respectively. Questionnaire were distributed through random sampling based on availability by rating their level of agreement with each of the statement on a five-point Likert's scale from strongly agree (SA), agree (A), undecided (U), Disagree (D) and strongly disagree (SD). Data were analyzed and tested using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, independent sample t- test and one-way ANOVA test at p <0 .05. The ANOVA analysis indicates that there is no significant variation in people's perceptions of the negative impacts of the tourist attraction on the demographic characteristics except educational qualification that shows significant variation in people's perception while test on people's perceptions of the positive impacts of the tourist attraction demographic characteristics shows that there is no significant variation in people's perception impacts of the tourist attraction on the host community and the independent sample t-test for both negative and positive impacts also shows that there is no significant variation in people's perception. Therefore, the tourism impacts can there be categories into three parts namely socio-cultural impact, economic impact and environmental impact with lists numbers of multiplier effects of tourism such as job creation, increasing income of local economy, boosting local business, generating other industrial activities in the town, social event in the community, better local facilities and infrastructure, conservation of the natural endowment and attractive environment appeals to tourists. The host community of any tourist attractions must have rightful perception of the development as sustainability of tourism industry left nobody out, in developing the tourist attraction.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Abraham Rono Harisson Maithya and Benard Sorre

Despite numerous campaigns to increase uptake of hospital delivery services in Kenya, skilled birth attendance is still low. The situation is particularly worse for marginalized rural communities, including the Marakwet of western Kenya. Marakwet County ranks far below the national health survey indicators, with only 28% of the women delivering in hospitals compared to the average national index, which is at 62% [1]. Different reasons are cited for the low health facility use by women during delivery. Drawing from a study on determinants of birthing sites conducted among the Marakwet of western Kenya, this paper discusses the socio-cultural factors that influence women's choice of the site of birthing. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis and it reports the qualitative findings. A total of 186 mothers, selected using multistage cluster sampling, were interviewed. Three focus group discussions with participants ranging from 8-12 were conducted, one with mothers below 20 years of age, another with mothers above 45 years of age and the third one with married men. A total of 29 participants participated in the FGDs. The FGDs participants were separately selected and were outside the 186 sampled informants. The study found that traditional birth attendants, rituals performed in the birthing process, and disposal of the placenta were the critical socio-cultural factors influencing the Marakwet women choice of birthing site. The paper concludes that understanding and addressing these factors is the key to any intervention programs designed to improve the reproductive health of women through the utilization of hospital as a birthing site.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Ilídia Carvalho

People with special needs are travelling all over the world, thanks to the last developments at technological level and mainly because of the changing of mentalities about impairment. Tourism destinations have to be prepared to receive this new kind of tourism and the required adaptations must concern the physical barriers and the human barriers as well. Tourism professionals in general should be informed and trained to deal with the human diversity. Tourist guides are some of the most important professionals on dealing with accessible tourism and their performance can be of extreme importance for the success of a travel experience. To be able to guide a group when there is someone travelling in a wheelchair, can be a challenge and requires some sensitivity and knowledge, not only about special needs of the visitors but also about the real accessibility conditions of the places. Based on the professional experience of the author and a mixed method research using questionnaires, interviews to tourists and day visitors as well as the results of a focus group with tour guides, this paper intends to give some answers about what visitors in a wheelchair expect from a tour guide and how these are supposed to behave in such a situation. The findings show how accessibility is a fundamental concept in tourism and the important role a guide can play.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Ke Zhang and Ronald Ding

This study tries to conduct a second-order CFA model of audience perception and evaluation on media image of foreign media. Communication capacity, popularity and credibility are the three factors tested in this study through utilizing online questionnaire survey. The results show that besides the frequency of media exposure that could affect the perception and evaluation of audience on media image, the three factors of communication capacity, popularity and credibility all have significant influence in contributing to the media image build. The significance of research on media image lies in that it is the most intuitive cognitive outcomes of audience as well as the most direct means in highlighting the inherent quality of media in the competitive market, and also the most intuitive signs to highlight differences with other media.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Roberto Dutra and João Ricardo Boechat Pires de Almeida Sales

In this paper, we discuss the role of religious organizations based on Niklas Luhmann's theory of functional differentiation. Starting from a reflection on functional differentiation as the defining form of modern society and the relation between religion and other social spheres, we argue that the multiplicity of functional orientations, due to the non-convergence between the perspectives of the different social subsystems, should be the point of departure from empirical analyzes of religious organizations in modernity. We demonstrate the theoretical argument through an analysis of religious organizations that are guided by Pentecostal structures and semantics in the search for the conversion of believers in the Brazilian religious field.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 6 Number 1

Teferi Adnew Zelelew

Following the introduction of Special Needs Education Program Strategy that Ethiopian government developed in 2006, all public HEIs have been required to implement inclusive education as a mandatory approach when educating students with impairment, including those who are visually impaired. However, the actual implementation of an inclusive approach is being challenged by the social, political and physical circumstances of higher education institutions. Therefore, this study aimed at examining the existing challenges and prospects towards the inclusion of students with Visual Impairment (VI) in the particular context of Addis Ababa University (AAU). The study adopted an interpretive paradigm for deeper understanding of the inclusion of students with VI at AAU and informing the detailed judgments made by experts of a suggested action plan to progressively provide support for students with VI at AAU. The study also applied the critical disability paradigm as a complementary philosophical base in order to examine critically the challenges that students with VI face and to suggest ways to transform the inclusive policies and practices of AAU in favor of the students. The researcher undertook the qualitative case study and a Delphi design to address the main aim of this research (i.e., to determine how best to implement an action plan that progressively increases support for students with VI at AAU over a period of time). The action plan that comprises various support measures and the necessary resources was developed using the empirical results of this study as well as the existing findings and best practices found in the literature study. It was scrutinized and approved by a number of experts to be implemented over the next five years at AAU in order to improve the support provided to students with VI.

]]>Jan 2018Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 12

Richard R. Zito

Many pre-telescopic naked-eye observations of large sunspot displays exist in the historical records. The most famous of these observations come from China, Japan, Korea, and Greece, but other cultures have made them as well. Pictorial evidence on dated monuments suggests that naked-eye sunspot displays may have been recorded in Mesoamerica as well. In this regard, Yaxchilan Lintel 48 is of particular interest. After a century long gap in naked-eye sunspot observations from Asia, an outstanding cluster of events began in 499 AD and terminated on April 7, 513. Within 5 years of this latter date, Joy b'alam (Knot-eye Jaguar I) was captured and, following an interregnum, K'inich Tatb'u (Skull II; Knot-eye's brother) ascended the throne in 526. In retrospect, Mayan priests might have associated the sunspot displays with the change in political power, and recorded their observations on historical Lintel 48, dated to 526 AD, by the device of a spotted Sun God.

]]>Dec 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 12

Ljiljana Stošić

During the Renaissance, in the West, stripes gradually ceased to be used as a sign of the evil, sinful and negative. It was probably under the influence of the Crusades and vast epidemics of plague that striped patterns covering entire fabrics or only their borders to be perceived as an expression of constant movement and life, bearing previously unimaginable connotations of such concepts as ceremony, exoticism and freedom. What remains and persists to this day are the visual accent and the perceptual priority of striped patterns. The relationship between stripes and proscriptions and punishment, especially temporary exclusion from social life, is not coincidental. As kind of barrier, passage or protection from evil powers and diabolical creatures, stripes were early visualized as a warning, they became a kind of protection cages, and they have remained this, in the true sense of the word, to this day. Stripes always bring system and order into world of chaos, indicating the belonging to a particular zone, level or sphere and offering an opportunity for a hierarchical classification.

]]>Dec 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 12

Randi Salim Muhamad Fadhil Nurdin Bintarsih Sekarningrum and Prengki

The culture of patriarchy is an old-dated custom which is identic to the people of Indonesia, especially the Malay people. The influence of Islam toward the patriarchal culture is quite significant whereas Islam believes in male's leadership upon the female. Islam is one of several old religions in Indonesia, no wonder, several systems were made are inspired of Islamic values. Patriarchal culture is deeply rooted in the soul of Indonesian people, not only the Malay people who believe in such culture but also the Javanese people do. The focus of the paper is examining how Islam influences toward the patriarchal culture of Malay people. The focus of the patriarchal culture that is obtained is influenced by Islamic religion, as stated in the quran surat An-Nisa ' [4]: 34 which States the man was the leader of the women. This study employs qualitative analysis method with data presentation in descriptive way of library study.

]]>Dec 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 12

Maria Pescaru

Family education is an essential means of achieving formal education and shows its main characteristics: It is done systematically through life experiences lived concretely, directly; it manifests diffusely in the individuals and groups manifests diffuse conduct of individuals and groups; impregnates the personality with its specific default, integral and continuous influence. In the contemporary approaches of the phenomenon of education, we often discuss about the erosion of the family functions and especially about the social function and, consequently, about the limits on family education, where education is attributed mainly to school.

]]>Dec 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 12

Michael Hankard and John Charlton

Historical First Nations – Canadian relations are marked by a range of contradictions—places where opposition, inconsistency and tension dictate how the state regulates First Nations everyday life. Lack of support for traditional healers is one paradox in this relationship. Tacit denial of recognition and support for traditional healing in Canada constitutes a hidden paradox not evident to those on the sidelines of this daily life. Even though practiced for thousands of years before European contact, First Nations traditional healing practices have yet to gain full support from the government of Canada. There is a contradiction between Canada's support for international initiatives such as the World Health Organization's (WHO) Social Determinants of Health model and its lack of support for traditional healers within First Nations at home. This article explores this paradox and critiques it from an Indigenous knowledge (IK) perspective through an articulation of the holistic First Nations worldview.

]]>Dec 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 12

Michael P. Seng

Sex offenders pose special problems for the criminal justice system. A traditional criminal case could not commence before a criminal act occurred. However, it is argued that criminal prosecutions do not effectively protect the public from future violations by sex offenders. Consequently, legislators have looked to civil remedies to prevent irreparable anti-social conduct before it occurs. These remedies have included sterilization, preventive detention, registration of offenders, and denying access to the internet. Each of these remedies poses serious treats to individual freedom. Psychologists and lawyers bear a heavy responsibility to ensure that these remedies can be justified.

]]>Dec 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 12

Eduardo Fernández Luiña and Daniela Guzmán Matheu

Nowadays, Guatemala faces a huge political opportunity resulting from the mobilizations that took place between the months of April and September 2015. Despite the civic commitment that these demonstrations have shown, the country continues to suffer numerous problems. One of them, certainly amongst the most important, is the social exclusion caused by unequal access to certain public goods. For many Guatemalans, security is one of the major national problems. Since the signing of the Peace Accords, the nation has suffered high rates of non-political violence that have prevented a firm consolidation of the political system as well as an advance towards the long-awaited democratic quality. This research paper presents a study of the Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC). The study reveals that there is no relation between violent areas and police presence. The most violent departments are not the ones with more access to public security. Moreover, we confirm that the institution clearly suffers from administrative macrocephaly. In the Department of Guatemala, which holds approximately 20% of the country´s population, there are more than 70% of the total existing police dependencies. The article ends with a reflection on the causes of such macrocephaly.

The democratization process initiated in 70's in Latin America was strengthened during 80's, which reveals difficulties across the political system. Political change, defined as change in succeeding parties, does not have the expected effects in the American continent as in European transitions, (O´Donnell and Schmitter: 1988). In the 70's and 80's, the continental countries—positively viewed by the Latin American countries—began their transition to democracy. However, over the years it was demonstrated that representative democracy does not necessarily imply democratic quality (Morlino: 2005) and the transition can have many outcomes. The question is: Why is democratic consolidation more complicated in a Latin American country? With respect to Mexico, after alternating in 2000, academic discussion has focused on the issue of democratic consolidation; however, electoral results in 2006 marked the turning point about the political direction. The increasing discontent, distrust and questioning to Federal Electoral Institute was demonstrated again in regular elections of 2012, where results were seen by many people as a setback. In consequence, the return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party has captured the attention of both political actors and scholars, and it has put into question the issue of democratic consolidation. So the main objective of this panel is to assemble a discussion from different perspectives about the Mexican transition, based, by one side, in the relationship between actors and institutions as agents of political change, and by the other, in the effects contrasted with the elements that determine the construction of a democracy of quality.

]]>Dec 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 12

Didit Welly Udjianto and Joko Susanto

In many cases, there is an irony when regional economic growth is high, but most of the population is poor due to the income disparity. The impacts of income disparities on social conflict are the main reasons for doing this research. The panel data regression analysis is used in this research. Therefore, the results show that an increase in income disparity will be followed by a rise in social conflict. Income disparities promote a lower middle group feels unfair and reflect their disappointment in a dysfunctional behavior that deviates from the rules. A group of people who mutually have dysfunctional behavior leads to social conflicts.

]]>Dec 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 11

Marta Postigo

Federal theory is experiencing new momentum in connection with contemporary political challenges such as the crisis of the nation-state and ethnic and cultural minorities that claim recognition and political autonomy. The present article presents a critical discussion on the principles that were enshrined in the Project of a Federal Constitution of the Spanish Republic of 1873 and the events that led to the first Democratic Republic in Spain, in order to highlight some basic tenets of federalism. The article is divided into four parts. Firstly, a general introduction to the paper is provided. The second part offers some methodological clarifications with regard to federal studies. Thirdly, the discussion takes place in two separate sections: the first one presents the events that led the proclamation of the first Democratic Republic in Spain in 1873; the second delivers a critical analysis of the federal principles that were enshrined in the Project of a Federal Constitution of the Spanish Republic of 1873. Finally, to conclude, two different principles are contrasted in relation to contemporary debates that arise in connection with the European Union and multicultural states: the principle of citizenship and the principle of cultural communities.

]]>Nov 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 11

Budi Setiyono Muhammad Adnan and Lusia Astrika

Corruption is a strong constraint for economic growth and development for emerging democratic countries. Corruption has commonly deeply entrenched, while political structures usually are very complicated, making the government less capable to deal with the problem. This stipulates civil society to stand up organizing anti-corruption movement. This paper attempts to describe how civil society organizations (CSOs) in South Korea and Indonesia play an important role in combating corruption during democratic transition. Apart from being successful in stimulating public awareness regarding the problem, the CSOs also fruitfully initiated a number of strategic policies led to the enactment of institutional and legal frameworks. They are also able to hold state officials accountable and brought the corrupt ones to justice. Their works have improved accountability in the governmental system. Although generally, CSOs in both countries share some similarities, there are some differences on the way they organize the movement. CSOs in Korea generally have stronger membership ties than their counterparts in Indonesia.

]]>Nov 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 11

Ana Mafé García M. Lynne La Mantia and Sergio Solsona Palma

The objective of the present study is to show the importance of creating a touristic description of a region or a locality based on its history that will be of interest to a visitor. There is no doubt that the curious tourist who possesses the knowledge of the past will experience an enhanced appreciation for the destination visited. The methodology to achieve this objective begins with research into the literary traditions based on the pursuit of the Holy Grail. It was widespread throughout Medieval Europe and revived at the end of the XIX Century in France and Great Britain. In addition, we searched for the historic sources that inspired the legends that were based on the deeds which took place in the Kingdom of Aragon and its territories between the XI and XIV Centuries. As human beings, the search for inner divinity is a reality that we cannot overlook. Everywhere we go there is a legend, an initiatory journey that induces us to connect with this inner divinity of ours and with Nature itself. We propose an example found in Spanish lands that can be used to envisage and to extrapolate stories of inner growth. These stories can be used by the tourists who visit these locations to increase their enjoyment of the new experiences related to an understanding of humanity and its inherent goodness. They will travel roads that have always existed and now, more than ever, are being taken again. This paper ends recommendations that future research should focus on the combined efforts of the regions of Aragon and Valencia for a structuring the Route of the Holy Grail, in order to offer the tourist an experience based on historical facts.

]]>Nov 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 11

Ayşe Yıldırım

Syria, which has witnessed a war that has been going on for many years now, is a country founded by the French after the Turkish War of Independence in the early 20th century, and the border between Turkey and Syria was drawn up during the French mandala. One of the characteristics of this border line—which is also valid for most of the newly-founded Middle-Eastern and African nation-states—is that historic and ethnic continuities have not been calculated, and that it was drawn up as if with a ruler. This characteristic has revealed various border fancies in terms of the states with political borders and the people or groups living on the border line. Undoubtedly, one of the areas in which political borders are visualized differently by the state and the border people is the cross-border trade. In this study, the economic action, defined from the perspective of the state as 'smuggling' between Nusaybin, a county in Mardin and the city of Qamishli in Syria, which are situated oppositely in the Turkish-Syrian border region, has been handled. The conversion of land, which has a traditional use value, into a territory for modern states, can problematize a 'natural' economic activity by making it 'illegal'.

]]>Nov 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 11

Julia Jakus

The political principle of Laicism was institutionalized in the constitutions of both France and Turkey supposedly establishing the separation of religion and state. This project seeks to identify whether French Laïcité and Turkish Laiklik have ever implemented Laicism in ways that fully separate the church and state and if so, to understand at which critical periods their comparability as assertively secular nations derailed. Although French and Turkish Laic-values are built upon a similar platform of nationalism, similar factors influencing the corrosion of Laicism in each case have produced inverse results regarding secularism in the contemporary. Confronting the notion of 'dual laicism's' I claim instead that both France and Turkey have undergone roughly similar processes since the birth of Laicism in each context but have been alternately shaped according to the dynamic interaction between prevailing ideologies of the dominant politic, society's perception of national value and national narrative. The fundamental difference between France and Turkey is more poignantly the direction of Laicism's corruption than the intensity of it. Have French Laïcité and Turkish Laiklik ever implemented Laicism in ways that fully separate the church and state, and if so at which points did they deviate?

]]>Nov 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 11

Juan Clavijo

This research aims to provide an overview of the phenomenon of plaquettes decorated in the Paleolithic. In order to achieve this objective, the study of the results of different excavations in which these mobile art objects have been found has been carried out, as well as the revision of the theories about this subject presented by different authors, and the analysis of the results of recent technological studies regarding these supports. Finally, a hypothesis which contemplates different aspects, such as the determinants that could have originated this artistic phenomenon, its variability development and its possible uses, is developed.

]]>Nov 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 11

Aleksandar Kuzmanovic

Competitiveness has become the dominant economic theme. Its character, in addition to the traditional supply needs to be more competitive or better than others, contributed to the world economic crisis through which passes all the economy, including the Serbian. The importance of competitiveness stems from the fact that it finds its use of all available resources. For each country, it is important to look at the quality of the use of available resources. Serbia since the beginning of the 2008 crisis, until now, achieved worsening levels of competitiveness. The research work highlights the basic directions of deterioration or improvement, competitive position during the crisis. The subject of the work is meaningful because the competitiveness of each country is based on the productivity of the use of all available resources. The level of competitiveness made by Serbia in 2016 - 90th in the world, among 138 countries - is not satisfactory even though Serbia has significant potential for raising its competitiveness. This is especially confirmed by the fact that at the level of GDP, according to purchasing power parity, Serbia is on the 70th place in the world. By the analysis of indicators of competitiveness and quality of business we have pointed out the competitive disadvantages of Serbia and we have defined the trajectory of how competitive advantage can be achieved. The analysis is based on a comparison of 2007 and 2016. In addition to the analysis of the competitive position of Serbia, a sample of countries in the region is also analysed to determine the position of Serbia in the region from the perspective of the level of competitiveness.

]]>Nov 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 10

Suzana Cascão

In Italy, communication research on the impact of media on immigrants' integration dynamics has up until now privileged the sphere of national mainstream media. This paper takes into consideration the role of diasporic media as complimentary to the latter perspective. In an attempt to assess whether there is in fact an intercultural media integration process occurring in both the mainstream media and the diasporic media players in Italy, this paper focuses on gathering evidence from the media pertaining to the majoritarian society and from those created by and for immigrant communities, in this instance the Latin-American. This evaluation aims to establish the degree to which the two media poles take an interest in each other as well as the story telling they deploy of one another. Interculturalism and intercultural media integration are the main theoretical frameworks used to understand how intercultural dialogue is operationalized at the media level, namely through the production of contents and trends of media consumption. Preliminary findings suggest a local mainstream media scene out of step with the de facto multicultural society, whereas only in some cases do Latin-American diasporic media demonstrate integrative potential capable of" bridging the gap" with the host society rather than merely fulfilling its ingroup "bonding" role.

]]>Oct 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 10

Tarkko Oksala Susanna Toivanen and Aino Oksala

The aim of this paper is to present conceptual architecture for modification of emotion. First the idea of emotion in general and as transformed to mean empathy and passion is considered. Secondly sympathy, compassion and feeling are discussed. This all is made in order to construct a firm basis to study emotions in general and their role in music, architecture and health care. A special attention is paid to using the stated ideas in interaction with migrants.

]]>Oct 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 10

Elif Yalçıntas Sezgin and Leyla Ulus

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which cause deterioration in functionality, is the most common neuropsychiatric disorder in childhood today. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to DSM-V, is defined with attention deficit, impulsivity and hyperactivity concepts (14). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has 3 main subtypes; the character dominated by lack of attention, the character dominated by hyperactivity-impulsive and related 3 more types. It is one of the most seen problems in early childhood and childhood periods. Pre-school children with Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), difficulties are experienced in diagnostics and education in Turkey. The aim of this study in this context is to discuss the causes, prevalence, treatment and the other related disorders of the character dominated by lack of attention (ADD) in Turkey. Writing was held on the basis of the study is only Attention Deficit Disorder. The conclusion has discussions, personal ideas and some advices.

]]>Oct 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 10

Marek Merhaut

Romani culture does not differ from the culture of gadjo. It has its purpose, namely the maintenance of the community and family at its very core. At the same time we have to always bear in mind that Romani culture, as other cultures, is not static but dynamic, and is influenced by a number of variations and changes. Inevitably, social changes lead to cultural changes. The reality of Romani culture is a complicated and multi-layered problem that has to be solved in the future. The matter of employment of Romani people in hospitality and gastronomy has its origin in their education. Romani children are not very much interested in jobs of cooks or waiters, and they do not apply for studies at secondary schools providing gastronomy and hospitality education. A Romani student is considered rather an exception.

]]>Oct 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 10

Larry Roland Stucki, Ph.D.

The controversial ouster of one of the younger generation's otherwise extremely qualified presidential candidates because he refused to show Navajo language fluency when running for president of the tribe illustrates the dispute between these growing numbers of educated Navajos for whom Navajo is no longer their primary language but who still seek tribal offices and their opponents. Reasons why the opponents seem to be losing this battle are examined and what must be done to give them any hope of reversing this 'death' spiral. (A revised version of a paper delivered on April 1, 2016 at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology held in Vancouver, British Columbia, March 29 - April 2, 2016).

]]>Oct 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 10

Jerzy J. Wiatr

Democratization of the formerly communist states of Central Europe took place during the "third wave of democratization" (Huntington). It was a remarkably orderly process, resulting in the establishment and consolidation of new democratic systems. In this respect Central Europe, mostly because of its cultural identity as part of the Western civilization, differed positively from most of the former Soviet republics and from the Balkans. Recently, however, new authoritarian regimes, based on free election but abolishing the rule of law, have been established in Hungary and Poland, mostly due to the dissatisfaction of the poorer strata with the effects of system transformation.

]]>Oct 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 10

Elísio Estanque

This article covers three areas. The first (i) gives a brief historical overview of the University of Coimbra and outlines some of the academic traditions, as well as violent behaviour associated with the initiation rituals (known as Praxe). The second area (ii) explores the possible links between these rituals and various cultural and socio-political movements, especially during the authoritarian regime. Finally (iii), the study analyses the most recent trends of the phenomenon in Portugal. The research purpose is to reveal the massive dimension of this phenomenon and its specificities in the case of Coimbra, the hometown of the Portuguese university where all these rituals started, about 700 years ago. The article is based upon a qualitative and reflexive methodology, and the empirical data has been gathered, firstly, from historical documentation and secondly, by permanent and direct observation over more than 30 years of living and dealing (as a professor) with the daily life of students in this city. This became a public issue after a number of controversial incidents, with trends very often shifting towards abuse, humiliation and violence. The culture of submission in the face of power that most initiation rituals foster seems to express a dormant tendency in society, where consumerist individualism is combined in a perverse way with mechanisms of avoidance and unconditional surrender to disciplinary rationales of a despotic nature.

]]>Oct 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 10

Cinzia Leone

Adolf Hitler decided to move to Munich in 1913 and he remained there for more than three decades. Although he transferred to Berlin during his time in government, Hitler always maintained a headquarters in Munich, and he never ceased to regard it with great nostalgia. The future Fuhrer quickly fell in love with the Bavarian capital and made Munich the center of his operations, and the cultural capital of the new Reich. He developed a profound love for the place which harbored him and which stayed with him from the dawn of his career. In this essay, I ask the following questions: what role did Munich play in the development of the National Socialist movement? And if he had not lived in Munich would Hitler have developed into the figure he became? In an attempt to answer these questions I start by describing Munich during Hitler's time, to its antisemitism and the birth of National Socialist party and the centrality of Hitler, and offer a short historical discussion of its position within Germany. Man can surely find some parallelisms with the current situation of our Europe in this essay, where we see nowadays even stronger extremist movements.

]]>Oct 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 10

Lai Olurode

Elections in Nigeria had often filled the air with apprehension and a high sense of trepidation. Stakes in elections are high. Under the zero-sum game which is in operation, winners take all and losers have nothing unlike the situation under proportional representation. In Nigeria, there are limited avenues by which individuals can benefit from states resources. By winning elections and getting recruited into the state sphere, an individual is assured of better life chances, so are close family members and ethno-religious constituencies. Elections are thus a matter of life and death. Electoral mal-practices are common. In 2011 but in the 2015 general elections in particular, there was a marked shift in the electoral process. Those who had been used to thwarting the electoral process were checkmated by the use of election technology, more specifically, the introduction of electronic card readers. The introduction of election technology paved the way for a more credible and competitive elections in Nigeria. All over Africa, election technology has become indispensable to conducting transparent elections that meet the standard of domestic and international observers. As for the method of research, the author relied on his experience as a member of Nigeria's primary electoral bureaucracy as well as his observations of election practices in other countries. Nigeria was used as a case study while references were made to other African countries as they struggle to diminish electoral impunity and frauds. This improvement in Nigeria's electoral process has triggered electoral reforms in other African countries.

]]>Oct 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

Paolo Bertetto

In What Is Philosophy?, Deleuze & Guattari consider art as a bloc of sensations, composed of percepts, affects and images. Such notions are also crucial to the understanding of Deleuze's idea of cinema, as elaborated by the philosopher in his two books Cinema 1. The Movement-Image and Cinema; 2. The Time-Image, and further investigated in other essays and interviews. In Deleuze's theory, concepts and sensations are forms of intensity, and they are flows, rather than firm configurations. And cinema is, in an exemplary way, a flow of images, a continuous variation of intensity. For Deleuze, intensity may finally be defined as one of the fundamental features of cinema and art. Intensity is dynamism, it is a flow of variable strength and of differential processes, chiefly tied to sensation, but also to forms and concepts, and connected to becoming. And intensity is an essential concept to comprehend Deleuze and his thought.

]]>Sep 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

Edward R. McMahon

Over the past three decades the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has undertaken programming designed to support legislatures in playing their role as an integral part of democratic governance. The particular areas of emphasis in programming have evolved due to experience gained, shifting policy priorities, and changes in resource levels. The parabola of assistance arcs from a) basic legislative technical and material assistance to b) an emphasis on legislative modernization plans and champions to c) a broader-based legislative "engagement" approach linking legislative support activities with cross-sectoral policy development and implementation. The latter approach is designed to foster economic and social development. We explore the reasons for this evolution and posit that there has been a move in the direction of USAID programming to support activities to promote integrated and broader development goals. We suggest that there are problems and challenges related to this approach; legislative engagement is not necessarily the alpha and omega of legislative functioning. We conclude however, that despite these challenges, ignoring the interface between legislative support and development may negatively impact the attainment of developmental goals and marginalize legislative support as a subject worthy of USAID focus.

]]>Sep 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

Senait Bahta

Human societies generate knowledge and strategies enabling them to survive in balanced relations with their natural and social environments. All societies thus, have their own indigenous knowledge systems originated from life’s experiences. This indigenous knowledge gives each society an identity. They are adaptive and enable them survive. They have survival value for the specific society because they were originated to serve the needs of the group and give them power to participate in decisions for their livelihood to sustain. Indeed, they are the ‘genetic material’ for development. Patman [1] writes, “There is a long tradition in Africa of reaching decision by unanimous consent – minority voices given a fair hearing….” Cheikh Anta Diop [2] emphasizes the need to build African human sciences, while Foucault [3] suggests, “There is a gap to feel by discovering the ‘Archaeology of knowledge’”. The researcher argues that, promotion of indigenous knowledge is fundamental to sustainable development, for, knowledge generated from local peoples’ life experiences agree to the law of the land and sustains their daily life. As sustainable development is community centered, it can be rational through scientific research of traditions that successfully solved local socio-economic and political conditions. Formalizing the local knowledge system into the national curriculum so as to transmit it to the new generation will also result in enhanced identity and a better standard of living.

]]>Sep 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

Elizaveta Barrett Ristroph

Alaska is a large state with 229 nationally recognized tribes, known as Alaska Native Villages (ANVs). Efforts to understand ANV climate change adaptation have often been limited to a particular concern (i.e., flooding and erosion) in a particular part of Alaska (i.e., the west coast). My study is the first that I am aware of attempting to identify adaptation actions, strategies and barriers across the entire state of Alaska and recommend ways for laws and institutions to facilitate adaptation. In this article, I explain a distinct method for identifying adaptation actions, strategies, and barriers that draws on literature, community plans, laws, and interviews and conversations with 153 participants (including ANV residents and those that make or influence policy affecting ANVs). Rather than coding particular segments of an interview or plan, I numerically code interviews and plans as a whole, based on themes expressed therein and from the literature. At the same time, I keep track of quotations that help clarify these themes. This method yields a complex picture of ANV adaptation that shows different views of climate change and adaptation strategies among different sources. Preliminary results of the study suggest a need for measures to improve implementation of community-level adaptation actions, rather than perpetuating a system of government-sponsored planning and data collection in narrow areas. Institutional changes need to be incremental in order to gain political support, yet they must be holistic in addressing the many challenges that ANVs face.

]]>Sep 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

Nicole Häusler and Kathrin Dischereit

Introduction: In 2012, after decades of political isolation, Myanmar began a political transformation. Having been subjected to more than 15 years of boycotts, the country is now a 'must-see' destination. International tourists have begun to discover Myanmar as a pristine tourism site, which has been made possible by an increase in political stability, extraordinary hospitality and the impression that it is still an 'unspoilt', 'exotic' country. Consequently tourism has the potential to contribute significantly to the future of Myanmar by creating jobs and growing the economy. Although increased tourism can also have negative consequences, significant multi-stakeholder discussions concerning the development of responsible tourism have led to two encouraging policy statements: the "Policy on Responsible Tourism" and the "Policy of Community Involvement in Tourism." [1]. In order to implement the aims outlined in these statements, especially in the private sector, enhanced due diligence is needed to determine the possible impact of businesses' activities on this country's society and environment. Such attention includes making 'corporate social responsibility' (CSR) practices a part of core businesses in the tourism sector. Even though the Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism tries to promote the topic of 'responsible tourism,' one author (N.H.), who worked for 3 years in Myanmar as an advisor for responsible tourism, found that the tourism sector in general exhibited little interest in incorporating CSR into its daily business activities. Nevertheless, in 2015, Myanmar was considered the highest-ranking country in terms of its generosity, and it also secured first place in terms of its volunteer efforts. At the same time, the author (N.H.) observed that many Myanmar companies interpreted the concept of CSR as giving donations to the poor, an act that is deeply linked to Buddhist belief. This observation was confirmed by Than Hlaing Oo [2], who conducted a comparative study of CSR practices in Myanmar involving ten managers of foreign-owned and locally owned hotels and tour operators. Therefore, we raised the question: Is a deeper understanding of Buddhism needed in order to implement CSR successfully in Buddhist countries such as Myanmar? Research Aim, Literature Review and Research Findings: This study was undertaken in the first quarter of 2016 to answer this question and to determine whether to incorporate Buddhist philosophy into training and awareness campaigns related to CSR and tourism as a way of ensuring sustainable development of the core business operations in Myanmar's tourism sector, and, if so, how. We applied the definition of CSR used by the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative at Harvard [3], which goes beyond philanthropy to address the social, economic and environmental impacts of CSR in both the workplace and the marketplace, and we combined it with the CSR principles defined by Balàš and Strasdas [4 pp. 235-236] on voluntariness; the orientations of management, of stakeholders, of the process and of the value chain; the triple bottom line; and transparency. A review of the literature on CSR in the Myanmar context demonstrates that after decades of military rule and a tightly controlled economy, corruption continues to be one of the most significant challenges facing this struggling country. Major legislative constraints include the lack of standard procedures for monitoring investment and business establishments and the ineffective implementation of existing laws, particularly with regard to environmental and social impact regulations [5]. Research data on CSR activities, if any, are limited. As regards tourism, the research carried out by Than Hlaing Oo provides some insights. Based on his interviews with ten tour operators and hoteliers, he stressed that "many people from Myanmar have been practising philanthropic acts for a long time even before the term CSR became common […] which indicated that philanthropy is locally and culturally rooted and CSR or responsible tourism would be understood as an international concept due to globalization" [2 pp. 35-36]. Most of his interviewees linked their CSR involvement to voluntary activities, such as giving aid and support to flood victims, explaining that they were motivated by "the sense of Buddhist religion and the Myanmar traditions to help others" [2 p. 42]. The qualitative part of our research was conducted in the first quarter of 2016, during which we interviewed 17 representatives of the tourism industry from various different regions in Myanmar. Interestingly, the interviewees had different ways of explaining CSR, with regard to the concept itself and what it actually entailed. In many cases, those who had a more profound understanding of CSR had worked closely with an international tour operator, which confirms the findings of Than Hlaing Oo [2]. However, the majority of respondents were still aware of the need for some socially or environmentally compatible activities. In addition, these interviews supported the conclusions of Than Hlaing Oo [2] and Welford and Ziegler [6] that the understanding of CSR among Burmese tour operators is in fact equivalent to making donations, especially to Buddhist monasteries, or taking care of the elderly. Conclusions and Recommendations: Considering that the negative social impacts of tourism are already evident [5], the strategic alignment of business objectives with responsibility and inclusivity will be crucial if Myanmar intends to achieve sustainable tourism development. Those involved in this process will also have to go beyond the philanthropic concept of CSR as it is currently understood. Taking into account Myanmar's history, ethnic diversity and regional differences, as well as the issues of bribery and corruption, legitimate and representative stakeholders and vulnerable groups must engage in continuous dialogues to understand and implement CSR activities based on the definition and principles presented in the section of the paper entitled Our Understanding of CSR, albeit 'in the Myanmar manner'. Religious leaders, mainly Buddhist monks and nuns, should also be invited to attend tourism stakeholder meetings so they can provide important perspectives in relation to the understanding of CSR in Myanmar in terms of Buddhist philosophy. Over the past four years, the author (N.H.) has attended most of these meetings, but religious leaders were in most cases not invited, because the organizers (mainly international donor organizations or non-governmental organizations) did not consider them to be important stakeholders. Linking Buddhist philosophy to (Western) concepts of CSR might be a new and innovative approach to the successful implementation of CSR in a country such as Myanmar. International and national consultants working in the field of CSR and responsible business in Myanmar should keep abreast of the results of such stakeholder processes and integrate aspects of the Myanmar understanding of CSR into their projects, training and certificate programmes.

]]>Sep 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

Arzu Durukan

This anthropological research performed with different groups living in Kars, Turkey which are known as Yerli, Azeri, Kurds, Terekeme, Molokan and Alevi. Turkey is a very sensitive region between the Middle East and Europe. The presence of ethnic groups not only provides cultural wealth but also causes tension from time to time. Kars is a city with a lot of ethnic diversity, but nevertheless it is a city where tensions are least experienced. In Kars, unlike other places, they seem to live in peace. Therefore this city was chosen for the study. The goal was to understand this silence. The research method used for the study was in-depth interview and in-depth interviews were done with 13 people between the ages of 50-80 from each group. However, sometimes during negotiations someone else like a friend or a relative became a better source. At the end of the study, it was observed that humor was a means to emphasize the differences of different groups. It was noticed that the mutual dislike and/or superior properties of the groups were highlighted through jokes and funny stories. Funny stories had been told during dinners at the houses, at the large dining tables, even at formal dining tables of local and administrative managers. Food is a part of the culture, and important in developing social bonds. It is thought that, the parser effects of humor are destroyed by taking the unifying power of food. It is thought that, the power of food soften the situation without creating conflict.

]]>Sep 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

Tzu-Fen Chang and Desiree B. Qin

Training (jiao xun) has been proposed as an indigenous form of Chinese parenting. Does it exist in other populations? If so, how might it be associated with developmental outcomes? We examined the relationships of training to adolescent academic, psychological, and school adjustment in a sample of 214 Chinese American and 125 European American academically gifted students. We found that training also occurs in European American families with academically gifted children. There were other ethnic similarities: Training was not associated with depression or anxiety in either group, and it was a positive predictor of academic efficacy for both groups. One difference emerged: Training was not associated with school-engagement problems for the European American students, but it was positively associated with fewer school-engagement problems for the Chinese American students. The findings suggest that training has positive implications for academic and school adjustment among academically gifted Chinese American adolescents and for academic adjustment only among their European American peers.

]]>Sep 2017st Century Archaeology of India]]>Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

P. Binodini Devi

Megalithism is a death phenomenon, which starts from Neolithic period onwards and continues up to the historical period through the Bronze Age. It spreads widely almost all the parts during the Neolithic period. In Japan it continues up to the middle of the seventh century A.D. until the then Emperor Kotoku prohibited it. Such cultural element is not being seen, as living tradition in other parts of the world. In North East India, particularly in Manipur, it is practised as a living tradition till date by some non-Christian tribes. The Liangmai tribe is one of the indigenous and larger tribes of this state, who still continued this tradition with some modification. In this paper the author would like to document the present concept of megalithic tradition in the north easternmost part of India as far as the material allows. The main objective is to make an interpretative visualization before it dies out in course of time.

]]>Sep 2017st Century of Thailand]]>Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

Modernization brings a major shift into the development process in the society of Thailand. The phenomenon started from foreign powers authority, either in the form of knowledge or assistance came to the domination. Determining discourse to generate new meaning on the Sufficiency Economy is demanded for fully responding to modernization era. Does the modern development in globalization cause the impacts? This research aims to study the respondents’ ideas towards Sufficiency Economy: demission of social capital development to pace of change in the 21st Century of Thailand. This was a qualitative research using the semi-structure questionnaire plus triangular check from the documentary and participatory action learning (PAL) with the community leadership. The respondents were 240 persons from purposive sampling in three provinces of Thailand. The qualitative data were analyzed by using three main stages: data reduction, data organization, and data interpretation to conclusion. The results consisted of five themes: I) Minds Dimension including the mentally strong awareness and realization that good, the independence of thought and action, creativity generosity and compromise, II) Social and Economic Dimension including the buddy, to link a strong network, to have a careful planning in managing existing assets, to have a backup plan in immune system of the risks and alternatives, the value and development, III) Technology Dimension including the selection of what suits your needs, knowing to improve the environment and the reality, IV) Cultural Dimension including an intellectual development potential and the uniqueness, and V) Resources and Environment Dimension including the development and use to the appropriate values.

]]>Sep 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

César Teixeira Castilho Babara Evrard and Dominique Charrier

This research focuses on the impacts of the 2014 FIFA Football World Cup on the Brazilian national football scene, especially in terms of its sporting infrastructure, relevant football bodies and fans of the national clubs. Through a qualitative approach based on a three-year longitudinal study (interviews, observations and documentary analysis) the theme was analyzed taking into account the importance of Brazilian football culture, whether as a sport or as a leisure activity, and the local aspects in four host cities of the competition: Belo Horizonte, Manaus, Recife and Rio de Janeiro. The results showed a profound modification of the country's stadiums infrastructure over the medium term, and a consequent gentrification of the fan base. Although managers of the country's top clubs are aware of these changes, the scenario for Brazilian football remains precarious when we consider the power of this sport within the country.

]]>Sep 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 9

Omoleke Ishaq Isola Taiwo Oliya and Kunle Benson

There are several competing issues deducible for the rise in industrial disharmony in government establishments in the recent time. One of such is the dearth of competence and perquisite managerial skill on the part of the authorities for effective management of situations that eventually escalate and lead to industrial breakdown. There is also the school of thought that welfare situation in most government establishments is so much at low ebb that constant industrial challenges have become inevitable. Others argued that the culture of protest against government or allied authorities was inherited during the independence when the nationalists rallied workers behind themselves to drive home their points for self-government. However, there has been scanty attempt to espouse the concrete issues involved in the rules of engagement guiding the legal relationship between labour and managers of public interests. This paper therefore re-examined issues involved in the law and practice of industrial relations in Nigeria with a view to addressing the challenges of incessant breakdown in industrial relations in public offices with emphasis of the right of the two parties involved in industrial relations development in Nigeria.

]]>Sep 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Giorgia Baldi

This article aims to analyse the current European obsession with the practice of veiling. What emerges from this analysis is that the regulation of clothes and images in the public sphere is an integral part of European history and emerges as a necessary act of sovereign power aimed at instituting a precise law and religious subject through regulation of the licit form of visibility in the public sphere. This act, reinforced by the promulgation of exceptional rules of law, is necessary to maintain the unity and homogeneity of European people, in the past as well as nowadays.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Lajos Olasz

Between the two World Wars, the relationship towards the neighbouring countries determined the main aspects of the Hungarian security policy. After World War I, huge areas and more than 3 million Hungarian inhabitants were detached from Hungary and annexed to the neighbouring countries. Hungarian politics mostly took efforts to re-annex these territories, what highly increased pressure with the neighbouring Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia. After the outburst of World War II, the relationship with the two expansive world-powers, Germany and the Soviet Union got more emphasis. In the eyes of the Hungarian government, Berlin simultaneously represented a threat and a support to re-annex the detached territories. During the period of the outburst of the World War, the Hungarian political elite maintained its viewpoint focusing mainly on the territorial disputes going on with the neighbouring states. In theory, it evaluated the potential risks threatening the country well. In practice, however, it rather only drifted with the events and made narrow-minded decisions that did not consider wider perspective.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Leen Kavulavu

This study attempted to broaden our understanding of the Idakho culture during pre-colonial period. The main aim of the research was to examine and unravel the past history pattern, cultural practices of Idakho people, to come up with written reference materials, to promote culture and enhance its contribution to community empowerment. The research used both secondary and primary data derived from field research. On completion, the data of this study has established facts such as determining the historical background of Idakho people and their migration to their first settlement in East Africa and assessed an extent at which the cultural and traditional practices have supported the Idakho community to this date.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

David A. Hough

Based on more than 40 years of work with Indigenous peoples, but as a non-Indigenous linguist and educator myself, I ask in this paper what I believe to be some very crucial questions about the ethical responsibilities of non-Indigenous individuals - including those in the tourist industry - working in Indigenous communities. I begin the paper with an introduction of the sociohistorical conditions of 19th century colonialism and how this shaped academic research on Indigenous peoples. During this period, anthropologists and linguists began to document the "primitive Other" as part of a project which became known as the science of race. While anthropological research supported colonization through ethnographic description, which portrayed Indigenous peoples through the lens of Eurocentric "Civilization," linguists were largely responsible for documenting Indigenous languages, often for the purpose of translating the bible in support of the Christianizing mission. Later they became occupied with cataloguing these same languages and cultures - now mysteriously "dying" - for the sake of academic and intellectual posterity. Following this sociohistorical critique, I look at how the legacy of researching the "Other" has continued in areas from academia and development schemes to tourism - and why Indigenous values and cultures continue to be denigrated and co-opted. Here, I argue that as outsiders we must learn how to privilege Indigenous cultures. I conclude the paper with a discussion of what this might mean in terms of working toward a code of ethics for non-Native researchers, which truly privileges Indigenous voices.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Alison Flanagan and Kevin Concannon

This research tracked the representations of Martin Luther King, Jr. in public art from 1967 until the present. The author's theory before beginning research was that depictions of Martin Luther King, Jr. have changed since his death. The author propounded that public opinion of King was negative during his lifetime but transformed into a positive viewpoint after his assassination. The author formulated that public art of King would change from before and after his death and that this artwork would reflect the artists' or patrons' agendas more so than any objective portrayal of King. The goal of the research was to evaluate public art examples, analyze them for their motivation, and either prove or disprove the original theory.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Mani Tebet

The present article intends to ascertain to what extent the "Bolsa Familia" allowance program modifies gender, power and interest relations to beneficiary couples - a topic that has aroused very little interest in public and academic debate. This paper also attempts to identify and understand moral and symbolic effects that the policy can produce on family and gender relations; the criteria of justice put forward by the couples for "deserving" the Bolsa Família benefit; and the rationale that underlies this notion of merit. Interviews were conducted with 30 couples in a district in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Stefanos Koffas

Dealing with social policy as a meaning, but also as an applied practice in social sector interventions, presupposes knowledge of the basic principles and values on which the philosophy of its existence and operation is based. Besides the historical reasons of the socioeconomic environment behind the development of social policy, the guiding principles and social values that govern it are also very important. More specifically, the anthropo-philosophical and Christian principles – other than being structural elements of human behaviour – serve as collective values as well as guiding principles for the harmonious working together of social life and state intervention when social policy is applied at the macro level. In any case, the effectiveness of each decision to intervene, and the accomplishment of its objectives, is highly dependent on its ideological background, which exists in relation to the current social values. The existence of social equality and justice, the reduction of social problems, as well as the reallocation of goods and services, presuppose the smooth operation of the value system and the preservation of its fidelity. The value system encompasses the local government and normative/regulatory conformity as foundations of the systemic operation of society's subsystems; in regard to the value system solidarity, subsidiarity and personal responsibility constitute the foundations of human behaviour. The presentation of the principles and value system on which the operation of social policy is based within the framework of the EU are the basic prerequisites for comprehending its operation. Moreover, this step as the new challenge of human reaction against to the monetarism of the economy. It is obvious that together with the neoliberal concept a very close cooperation with the human values is necessary.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Shin Min-Jong

This paper aims to present a more flexible approach toward the Korean modern art, by exploring the work and art of a Korean modern artist Pai Un-soung (1900-1978) in Europe from multiple perspectives. Because the modernization of Korean art includes the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), Korean modern art has been negatively recognized as a "passive" one and an "epigone" of western art "distorted" by Japan. Under those circumstances, Pai was the first Korean modern painter who studied "original" Western painting in Europe, rather than in Japan. Not only that, he was the only one who worked in Europe for 18 long years with accomplishments far too numerous to count. Pai's various activities conducted in Europe suggest the active and international aspects of Korean modern art. In this paper, I will focus on the Pai's stay in Europe and examine his activities and artworks, in connection with the political, social, and cultural situation of European society in the 1920s and 1930s. Through this paper, I hope to not only present a transnational viewpoint on Korean modern art, but make a request for mutual understanding and a spirit of cooperation in the study of art history between the East and the West.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Dounia Bouzar

From 2014 to 2016, the Centre de Prévention contre les Dérives Sectaires liées à l'Islam (CPDSI) was commissioned by the French Interior Ministry to establish the first indicators of radicalization, to come up with an experimental method for de-radicalization and to train law enforcement teams in France. A qualitative analysis of the data gathered from interviewing 809 young people prevented from joining ISIS, along with the collection of their interactions with the recruiters enabled us to identify the individualization of the recruitment pitches. Indeed, "the new radical discourse" adapts the jihadist ideology to the various emotional and cognitive needs of the young people, thereby pitching motivations tailored to their specific socio-culture and psychological profiles. The process analysis of the radicalization process sheds light on several sequential phases, which include a two-fold emotional-ideological dimension. This papers argues for a novel conceptual framework of the de-radicalizations studies and programs that take into account the link between the emotional and the ideological dimensions.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Mariam John Meynert

Aries's famous book Centuries of childhood (1962), has influenced the widely acknowledge view that the concept of childhood is a social and cultural construction. Cross-cultural and historical researches have asserted that the idea of childhood has varied across different cultures and epochs thus belying the universal conceptualizations of childhood. Hermeneutical readings of historical and sociological texts have encouraged me to construct the notion that there are children who live out their lives without childhood – both in the past and in the present. In addition to this I deconstruct the notion of 'universal childhood' and make the following assertions: that in the medieval period childhood as we understand it today may not have existed; that childhood could be said to be a modern invention; that in the postmodern childhood is fast disappearing. I argue that in the wake of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, two contrasting trends emerged regarding children, viz. the notion of child centeredness (among the emerging middle classes), and increasing proletarianization of children (among the lower classes). The 20th century has seen a reduction in child labour due to legislations regarding children, compulsory schooling and the Welfare state. Despite this, today there are millions of children living without childhood. In the 21st century, there are one billion children still living in conditions of poverty resulting from neo-liberal policies and the unequal World order. I further argue that recovering childhood is insidiously connected as much with structural changes as economic ideologies and collective legislations.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Gustavo Hamilton Sousa Menezes

In this article I intend to, first, make a brief overview of indigenous prisoners in Brazil, highlighting its invisibility by lack of accurate official records. Secondly, I want to address two indigenous perspectives on prisons; one from a people who, influenced by the Brazilian legal system, began to adopt prisons within Indigenous Lands as a sanction and punishment alternative to its members, and another from a people who reject the arrests considering them extremely cruel and contrary to their notions of human rights. Finally, I will point some conclusions reached by the anthropological work on the need to discuss public policies for Brazilian prisons that pay attention to the indigenous socio-cultural diversity.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 8

Yossra Hamouda

Conceptual ghettos are closed isolated communities based on one or more prioritized aspect(s) of the individuals' identities; for example: LGBT, Muslims in Europe, African Americans in the United States and immigrants. Sometimes, the single conceptual ghetto may require more than one identity; for example: African-American LGBT Muslims. The borders between the members of the conceptual ghetto and others are not physical walls; they are rather an understanding of the self and identity. This paper addresses the question: Do Conceptual Ghettos Hinder the Decrease of Minorities' Oppression? It tries to consider whether conceptual ghettos make it more difficult to decrease the oppression of minorities or not. Literature on identity and isolation of two conceptual ghettos –LGBT and Muslims in Europe- are reviewed to examine the reasons behind the conceptual ghettoization while literature on contact hypothesis and integrated threat theory in relation to LGBT and Muslims in Europe are used to answer the paper's question. The findings of the paper show that the conceptual ghettos are the product of the oppression of the minorities and the minorities' fear of rejection and that intergroup contact is important for the support of the minorities' rights. The answer to the paper's question is that conceptual ghettos hinder the decrease of minorities' oppression. Conceptual ghettos stand against intergroup contact; they lead to the perpetuation of stereotypes, fear of the other and disagreement. They also decrease the chance of tolerance, eradicating stereotypes and supporting the minorities' rights. It is suggested that intergroup contact (both direct and mediated by a non-particularistic media) may be one way of overcoming conceptual ghettoization and decreasing oppression.

]]>Aug 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 7

ElinaTriantafyllidou and Fani Vavili

This paper deals with, what we call, "Bare lives in invisible cities". Bare lives are defined as the subjects while invisible cities are the spaces in which they move, live temporarily or for a long time. Who are those who have no permanent home and end up changing settings, not because they choose to, but because of prevailing conditions at their place of origin? The stage has been set, the roles have been given and the dis-placed people become the central characters of the drama being unfolded lately in South-East Europe. The specific groups of people being referred here are refugees or immigrants, requiring asylum and presented as 'bare lives,' that forcibly left their grounds, due to political, economic and geographic reasons. This research, having defined its subjects, attempts to set them in the invisible cities' grounds. What is the definition of an invisible city? Where is it located? What kind of new spatial relations are formed; are some questions that require answering. Presenting an alternative architectural solution in 'extreme conditions', this paper aims to start a discussion about a new type of co-habitation in the city.

]]>Jul 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 7

Dapo Thomas

The Buhari government has made war against corruption a fundamental component of its agenda for national rebirth. Since the administration was invested in May 2015, it has waged a relentless and persistent war on corrupt government functionaries of previous administration(s). This study was designed to examine the implications, the mechanisms, the contradictions, the dynamics and politics of Buhari's corruption war. This study investigated the socio-political dimensions of this war and the role(s) of national institutions. It adopted a descriptive design using a cultural construct, Molebi theory, to examine, analyse and interrogate the carnivalization of the trials of the suspects. This may not be a new phenomenon, but the energies and creativity that go into it these days showed a political trend that is capable of turning suspects' trials into a circus. The Molebi theory is used to identify and interpret the cultural creed which serves as a mantra of mobilization in support of politicians who are benefactors to their respective families and political associations. A nation that is lamenting a systemic dysfunction in its polity as a result of brazen and chronic prebendal and primitive accumulation should not in any circumstance raise an altar for the celebration of corruption by dancing to court in aso ebi in support of a rogue politician that is being tried for looting of the national treasury. The carnivalization of the trial of a rogue politician diminishes our values, insults our sensibilities, pollutes our cultural space, destroys the foundation of our polity and encourages communal scrambling for the endless gulping of our common wealth.

]]>Jul 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 7

Clifford Nwanna

Nigeria has a lot of natural and man-made tourism potentials, which include: architectural edifices, Traditional/Contemporary drama, water falls, masquerade festivals among many others. These tourism potentials, if properly harnessed and sustained could be marketed for tourism and huge economic gains. Masquerade festivals in particular, appear to be one of the most neglected tourism events in Nigeria. The emergence and fast growing pace of the home movie industry in Nigeria, popularly known as Nollywood and the lackluster attitude of government, researchers and students toward traditional theatre are gradually forcing masquerade and the entire traditional theatre into extinction. This study is thus a conscious effort aimed at digging up the hidden treasures of traditional theatre in Nigeria and presenting its aesthetic and economic potentials to the global theatre landscape. A descriptive and qualitative research approach was employed in the study. It is hoped that this study will lead to a revival of interest in traditional masquerade festivals in Nigeria and reawaken a consciousness toward this direction.

]]>Jul 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 7

Norah Alotaibi

The present study is an attempt to identify the role played by Saudi woman in achieving intellectual safety in Saudi community. The study utilized social survey method and the questionnaire was applied to a sample, randomly selected, consisted of 1300 female university students from (Princess Nourah bint Abddulrahman University, King Saud University, and Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University) for the first semester of the academic year 2016/2017. The study showed that there is an agreement of the participants on the role of woman in raising children according to the culture of family dialogue and its mechanisms rated between 2.44 and 2.64, and the role of woman in consolidating of moderate Islamic values in the minds of children rated between 2.70 and 2.86. It also confirmed the role of woman in reinforcing human self of children, respect and development of children while maintaining cultural excellence rated between 2.51 and 2.69, and the role of woman in raising children to respect freedoms of others rated between 2.52 and 2.74. In light of the study finding, some recommendations have been made.

]]>Jul 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 7

Carlos André Teixeira Gomes and Marisa Ribeiro Teixeira Duarte

The paper analyzes the infrastructure of public schools in Brazil by examining the hypothesis that the institutions with poor material conditions have students with a lower socioeconomic level. The characterization of the institutions is based on data from the 2013 School Census, submitted to latent class modeling, which revealed the existence of four different school profiles. In order to carry out a socioeconomic differentiation of the institutions, the Poverty In School Indicator (IPE in Portuguese) was created, which uses data from Bolsa Família, an income transfer program. The results confirm the available body of literature on the subject by showing that the location, the administrative dependency, the size of the school and the region of the country in which it is inserted are related to the inequalities of school infrastructure. In addition, the study finds that the public schools with better infrastructure conditions generally have lower proportions of poor students. On the other hand, most institutions with the worst infrastructure profile have mostly poor or extremely poor students, confirming the hypothesis of this research.

]]>Jul 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 7

Paul R. Friesen

One of the challenges of ESL is to help students to speak L2 using their own words in a more meaningful way. In Korea, a focus on specific skills related to the TOEIC test often leaves students with memorized answers. The limitation of rote memory learning and separated skills leads to minimal communication and comprehension of ideas. Korean teachers have been tasked with two of the four elements (reading and listening), while the foreigners are laden with the other two (speaking and writing). The 7AIQ method is a response to the communication by students' learning through a "segregated" system. This process is focused on asking students to think about "What do I want to communicate?" for each part of the dialogue by using at least seven words for each answer and question while adding information. The study was a review of the premise that students would fare better if they focused on longer communication segments. Students become frustrated when they speak in .The participants were students enrolled in a practical University English program. The students worked in pairs, resulting in the evaluation as a final test. There was no questionnaire conducted at this point. The initial reaction was that it was harder for the lower skilled students and smoother and more enjoyable for those who had achieved a higher skill level.

]]>Jul 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 7

André L. Ribeiro Lacerda

This study aims to present the changes identified within the structure of the status of Pantanal cattlemen in Poconé - MT which help us understand why the young generation of Pantanal cattlemen see cattle breeding in the Pantanal as a complementary economic activity and why most of their offspring are not interested in it. The work defends the general hypothesis that the Pantanal cattleman's choice of status used to be influenced by his family along paths suggested by the cultural transmission theory in agreement with the mechanism of direct vertical socialization, although this has been changing because: (h1) changes in the social structure drawn from the status of Pantanal cattlemen (status set) do not favor investing in the occupational status of Pantanal cattlemen; (2) those who choose the social role of a Pantanal cattleman do so considering it a secondary, complementary economic activity and which minimizes conflicts with the role of their main occupational status. Data collected from cattlemen in 2015 (n=29) sustain the two hypotheses.

]]>Jul 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 7

Michael J. McCallion Sacred Heart Major Seminary and Detroit MI

Conscious of the disciplinary turn away from examining predominantly cognitive, belief, and rational factors to examining emotional, bodily, and ritual factors this research focused on what people were 'doing' in relation to the New Evangelization (NE) and less on what they were saying. Consequently, three general categories of doings/activities are described that are associated with the NE. Although associated with the NE, can these doings actually be called NE practices per se? Or, is the NE retrospectively theologically legitimizing Catholic practices already in place? Focusing on 'practices', therefore, Rawls [1] raised not only the question, are there NE practices, but also the Durkheimian epistemological question of the relationship between enacted practices and beliefs/ideas. Although this is not the place to address the Durkheimian epistemological question, it was found that the NE was retrospectively legitimizing Catholic practices already in place rather than creating new practices. Moreover, this research has revealed over time that the NE in its initial stages (2005-2012) infused a more individualistic and emotional emphasis to the Catholic practices of devotional prayer and NE parish meetings to emphasize a more communal/ecclesial dimension in Christian service practices. Although further research is needed, it appears that Christian service/communal practices already in place are receiving the same fueling of emotional vigor that the more individualistically oriented practices of devotions and meetings received from the theology of the NE.

]]>Jul 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 6

Franka Schäfer

In the following, the paper addresses the unfinished discussion of the affective in sociological theory. Major objective is to argue for an active and positive connotation of the decentering of the subject within the framework of the version of the affective that sociology implemented under great effort - one might think of the achievements of post structuralism - not so long ago. For this reason, a research program using a discourse-analytically informed sociology of practice - relating to the affective – is recommended. It borrows ontologically from Massumi [1], whose concept of the affective applies empirically in the tradition of Grossberg [2] and Clough [3] and tests it against sociology of protest by borrowing from Stähli's [4] concept of the collective. The event of the Chicago Festival of Life 1968 gives an example how to do a practice-theoretical sequential filmanalysis with the methodological focus on artefacts, bodies, moves, space, time and discourse. It brings us to the findings that with such a research design one needn't with the subject in focus throw the affect as such overboard as well, but could rather – and Patricia T. Clough [3] is right with that - implement the affective turn in such a way that it refers to the discontinuity of the subject and conceives physicalness and materiality in general as constituting moments of sociality [3]. The essence of the reflections is, finally, the suggestion that affectedness is practice which, in its eventuality as a historically contingent intensity zone, like G. Deleuze and F. Guatari [31] highlighted, is constituted with potential for transformation and can only be empirically grasped.

]]>Jun 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 6

Müzahir Kiliç

Suggestion or admonition means advice. In literature, works which give advices on religion, communal living, occupations and management services or show the way to be a good person and be successful in life are called advice letters (pend-nâme). Advice letters are advice books. They are the rules that mark out how to be a good person in society and direct the human life in the direction of the commands and prohibitions of İslam. These rules have been formed in accordance with the İslamic commands, and to an extent they are the prohibitions to be obeyed. It is seen that such works have been written in almost every era of classical Turkish literature. Kutadgu Bilig, Atabetü'l-Hakâyık and Divan-ı Lügati't-Türk as the first works of Islamic literature are like advice books in terms of the subjects and messages they carry. Even Göktürk inscriptions are like an advice book with its messages that represent a historical experience. Two significant works of this field are the books on ethics written by Güvahi and Ahmed Mürşidî Efendi. These works are particular source for linguistic area as they include mottos along with proverbs, idioms, anecdotes and fairy tales. The works of Ahmed Mürşidî Efendi known as poet of books on ethics have many written and printed copies. A written copy of this work was explored by one of our students. This copy which consists of 201 sheets and 7265 couplets was copied by Muhammed Nuri Efendi from Burdur. An artisan in Burdur keeps it.

]]>Jun 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 6

Ashek Mahmud and Ruhul Amin

The role of social networking websites (SNWs) on offline political activities has gained currency in recent days. This study aims to explore the dynamics of relationship between users of social networking websites and their political participation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 110 students in the University of Dhaka. The empirical study focuses on evaluating whether there is relationship or not between SNWs and offline political participation in different respects. The use of SNWs contributes to boosting consciousness about political activity and political awareness. It also studies to find association between time span used up in SNWs and participation in offline political activities. This study concludes that some specific activities in SNWs have role to develop the level of participation in political activities.

]]>Jun 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 6

Miftar Zenelaj

The Mental Health Department in Kosovo makes one of the more important departments of public health. Therefore, based on this specific importance, the contemporary reforms which have been undertaken in this department, have a special importance. This study is precisely focused on this department and its objective is to prove the level of observance of ethical principles during the treatment of psychiatry patents in hospital environments. The research objective ceases at the analysis of norms and ethical principles' obedience, as well as observance of legitimate rights of people with mental disorders. The study treats problems in an integral way and it analyses important ethical issues due to coming to a tangible conclusion. In order to provide answers to the research's questions, the research method is based on the use of anonymous questionnaires given to the medical staff and on patients' interviews. Bioethics as a new discipline interferes with many aspects of applying medical-psychiatric practices by posing various dilemmas, such as: Where and what does a psychiatrist practice ;How and why does a psychiatrist practice various diagnostic methods; When and how is the treatment of the psychically ill practiced; How much does the psychiatrist respect the patients' rights; How much are the principles and ethical norms being respected in a mental health institution: The respect of patient's rights about information and self-determination related to the treatment; Preserving/keeping medial secrets; Treating patients with dignity; Morally-ethical behavior of the medical staff in mental health institutions; Observance of the International Convention about the Rights of Psychiatric Patients; The role of the psychiatrist in the compulsory psychiatric evaluation. Starting from the concept of psychic illnesses which present an individual's problem of living with the illness in his/her environment (community), because of the labeling and him/her being stigmatized as insane (a fool) constitutes a morally-ethical dilemma of our modern society. Insanity exists in the mind and behavior of the individuals who suffer from psychic disorders or spiritual illnesses whose substratum exists in his/her personality. This substratum can be organically-pathological but in most of the cases clinical experiences have shown that it can also happen as a result of psycho-social processes (traumas), by not excluding the concept of the individual's genetic construction. In the past the psychiatric patients have been deprived of their legal freedom even though they have had mental capacity of making decisions for their best interests and their well-being. As an answer to this and partly because of other justified reasons The Human Rights Act claims: "Everyone's right to life shall be protected by law" This means that in Mental Health institutions patients' rights of exercising autonomy and making free choices, including the right to refuse treatment, must be respected. Psychiatric patients need to get the care they need, including protection of their self-harming behavior and always by respecting ethical principles and norms.

]]>Jun 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 6

Hanna Żuraw

According to Ferdynand de Saussure's linguistic study and Mary Douglas's anthropological resolving I analyse – in perspective of anthropology of communication- social dialogue about people with mentally retardation and people with psychic diseases. Basic questions of my article are – "who, why, how, what" speak about people with these disfunctions. I present results of my research and I say - people like speak about freaks –they give us something inducing to thinking about another face of humanity.

]]>Jun 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 6

Ivana Popović

Travel literature sometimes can be very important source of data about the art heritage of the nation whose regions are being described. Many foreigners who traveled in Dalmatia were fascinated by the abundance of its cultural and natural splendour. In 1852 Ida von Reinsberg-Düringsfeld published travel-record Aus Dalmatien in which she presented Dalmatia to the world as a cultural-historical landscape. Nowadays some of them are really useful if you want to studying history of Dalmatian art, but also history of art history in Dalmatia.

]]>Jun 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 6

Soledad Analía Pérez

This paper expounds an exploratory study on the connections between Amartya Sen's capability approach and epistemic proceduralism focused on the measurement of poverty. The study describes the general features of Sen's approach and then analyses them from the perspective of epistemic proceduralism. Some difficulties were observed in the deliberative concept of democracy and the process of devising lists and consensuses to design tools for poverty measurement. We proved that the strongest link between the capability approach and epistemic proceduralism lies in the theoretical level. Therefore, whoever studies poverty and social needs has to cope with the challenge of applying the ideal of deliberative democracy to the definition of needs or lists of capabilities and provide arguments to ground rights.

]]>Jun 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 6

Branko Krasojević and Biljana Djordjević

Intangible cultural heritage, as a factor of promoting and developing cultural and national identity, is the focus of attention of the UNESCO, UNWTO and other international organizations specializing in the protection and promotion of culture and tourism, thereby generating tourism demand. The tourist offer of Serbia includes intangible cultural heritage which is modestly and inadequately presented and interpreted. This project is the result of research for the development of national strategies in tourism and the investigations of the intangible cultural heritage as a tourism potential. Its aim is to highlight the importance of intangible heritage as a factor involved in generating the critical mass of the contemporarily interpreted cultural tourism products which can significantly enhance the competitiveness of the tourist offer of Serbia.

]]>Jun 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 6

Panayiotis Vlassis Theodora Tzamou and Maria Mpitsi

This paper was acquired while facing real situations of innovation project developments, difficulties to embody all these technologies to the current market, convince buyers, train users, guide technicians to maintain the products, and deal with the systemic stakeholders that could jeopardize the whole undertaking during the R&D of energiaproject. Although the main concept remains the same in most innovations that have originated and have been developed for the sales industry, the way the actual outcome is deal with and handled might differ upon to the resources each manager might have.

]]>Jun 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 5

Canan Zongur

The aim of this study is to examine the similarities and differences between stone sculpture symposium events, organized today in almost all countries over the world whether by organizations or as a person, upon the researcher's self-experience. The first of these activities was held in 1959 and started with the purpose of giving the sculptors the opportunity to work on large scale stones, then later became one of sculpture art's best-known and important events, thus without interfering with any kind of socio-cultural structure, this yearly activity was organized in many countries. Beyond its former aim, sculpture symposiums turned into artistic organizations today that rendered the gathering of selected sculptors in public places and the production of sculptures in those open areas possible. Alongside the variety of raw materials and project applications in sculpture symposiums, the changeable working atmospheres caused by different weather conditions and culture mean a new experience for the artists each time and compel their ability to express themselves. The researcher's experiences gained in 30 different international symposiums made it possible to attribute a critical interpretation on the phenomenon of symposium, which became indispensable for the art of sculpture. This research project is based on the examination and comparison of examples and by providing an insight, is equally essential for both sculptors and symposium organizers.

]]>May 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 5

Marc Frincu and Ioana Giurginca

In this paper we present the first comprehensive study of the astronomical alignments of paleo-Christian basilicas located in present day Romania. 20 basilicas from 10 sites have been investigated using a digital compass and tools such as Google Earth, Stellarium, and heywhatsthat.com. Results show that except two all fall within the solar sunrise arc. Of these some point to the rising Sun during the feast days of well-known Christian saints. The two exceptions at Argamum and Dinogeția indicate that the basilicas may be converted. The astronomical analysis in these two cases indicates a possible alignment with the moonrise during the major lunar standstill and the rising of the stars Arcturus, Castor, Mirach, and Algiebe.

]]>May 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 5

Hui-Chuan Hsu

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of parent-child relationship, filial piety and adult children's concept of family on the health and well-being of their parents. Data were obtained from the Panel Study of Family Dynamics in Taiwan, 2005-2011. The sample comprised parents with repeated measures and one wave data from their adult children (208 persons with 1,336 observations). The parent-child relationship predicted self-rated health for both fathers and mothers and predicted the life satisfaction of mothers. Filial piety was positively related to self-rated health of mothers but was negatively related to self-rate health of fathers.

]]>May 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 5

Akhmad Nafarin Sidharta Adyatma and Deasy Arisanty

Floods have an impact on people's lives. Efforts to address the effects of flooding need to involve the community. This research examines the public participation in the disaster area in Hulu Sungai Tengah District. This research is designed using a survey approach to the community in flood prone areas in Hulu Sungai Tengah District. Data is obtained through questionnaires with the number of sampling is 380 people. The results show that community participation in flood prevention is high-very high category. People have the participation in form of labor and money. The problems of flood-prone areas in Hulu Sungai Tengah District are lack of public awareness of the signs of impending floods; low information about the dangers of floods; and no early warning system for floods from government.

]]>May 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 5

Yao Tang

This research studied the Chinese gender social stratification by creating the Direct and Indirect 'Social Class Index' (SCI) for each observation. Adopting the Principal Component Analysis, both indices combined many social aspects, such as occupation, ownership, industry, job stability, year of school and hourly earnings etc. In addition, with a changed variable set, which included the occupation concerning information in labour market, and also the household redistribution and exchange impact, a new 'SCI' was formed. This new 'SCI' reconstructed the original social structure and changed the individual's social rank. After comparing the two indices, it was found that the impact of the household in China helped diminish social disparities between couples, genders and social groups. Marital status had a positive effect on the lower social strata and on women.

]]>May 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 5

Debela Fituma Mamo

The idea of African-led solutions to African security problems has emerged as a holistic political, socio-cultural, economic, and intellectual endeavor to address the peace and security challenges in the continent. Though the term African Solutions for African Problems (AfSol) is coined recently, indigenous conflict management, peacemaking, transitional justice, and reconciliation have existed for much longer in Africa through African indigenous mechanism. This suggests that understanding the features of indigenous African political institutions and social organizations is quite necessary for meaningful development of AfSol. In this regard, Gadaa system which regulates the whole living ways of the Oromo people provides us an invaluable foundation. By organizing, analyzing and interpreting the data obtained from both primary and secondary sources, this study has attempted to examine the key values and principles of the Gadaa system and explore as to how these values and principles can help to achieve the idea of African-led solutions to African challenges. The conclusion up on the research has drawn is that in order to accomplish AfSol's mission as a realistic project, incorporating the principles and values embedded in the Gadaa system is crucial. This research suggests that the integration of Gadaa values and principles into the AfSol pillars, with necessary revisions, would reinforce the latter's practices and help its realization as a policy in the making.

]]>May 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Vlora Marmullakaj

Alan Watson once argued that a rule which is transplanted is different in its new home. For a poor village housewife 'bread' does not have the same meaning as for the wealthy Parisian businessman. The housewife has much less choice, is close to the source of supply, and bread plays a very different role in the family diet. Similarly, foreign legal rules transplanted to the legal system of Kosovo may have different results than in their legal system of origin. Kosovo is a country with a unique history of state-building. As a new state, Kosovo had to be built from scratch, which entailed a lengthy process of legal changes. Laws that were in force Kosovo before 1999 could not support the new developments in its economic and social order, especially the transition from a state-controlled economy to an open-market economy, thus Kosovo has relied heavily on foreign experience in drafting its legislation. Since 1999 Kosovo has received millions of Euros in legal aid from international organizations for the purpose of legal reform. However, this assistance may prove to be very costly for Kosovo as it implies importing foreign rules to Kosovo legislation. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the impact of external factors on the development of Kosovar law. The paper will assess whether the transplanted law comports with the culture and tradition of Kosovo and whether the models are likely to fit with the adopting legal system? Is there a timeframe to determine on whether something foreign really “fits in” the local environment? By exploring the above I want to show the impact of legal transplants on the legal order of Kosovo and whether legal solutions that were effective in foreign countries can be effective in Kosovo too.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Michael Prost

The mind-body problem asks about the specifics of the human mind and its interaction with the body. We will show that what makes the human mind unique is the advanced human language. We will illustrate that some mutations in Homo sapiens enabled us to develop a sophisticated language, which was the basis for the development of advanced abstract thinking. We will show how language and thinking are realized in the brain by neural connections. That leads to the conclusion that the human mind is our language-representing neural network, and can indeed be completely reduced to matter. Materialism and reductionism are true. Actually, the solution of the mind-body problem also explains human consciousness. Human consciousness is the ability of humans to include verbal thinking in conscious processing. A comparison shows that prominent theories of consciousness such as Global Workspace Theory (GWS), Higher Order Thought Theories (HOT) and Integrated Information Theory (IIT) are a subset of our explanation. But all other theories are also applicable to animals with brain, miss the specifics of human consciousness and do not deliver an explanation on a neural level.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Liza Hayes

Our society is racially characterized by subtle forms of discrimination and prejudice. At the present time, people have adopted an attitude of racial denial, reinforcing an attitude of racial invisibility. This study is the first qualitative attempt to measure Franklin's paradigm, the invisible paradigm. Using data from the African- American study (N=2, 864), I examine the relation between race invisibility with discrimination, social recognition, and group affiliation. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) discrimination affects the individual's perception of race visibility, micro-aggression, and group affiliation; (2) social recognition is related to group affiliation and visibility; and (3) group affiliation mediates the relationship between discrimination and visibility. Results from the path analysis show that perceived discrimination has a negative and significant association with micro-aggression and visibility and a positive and significant association with group affiliation. Group affiliation mediated the relationship between discrimination and visibility. Social recognition, however, does not affect race visibility directly. Its effect is mediated through group affiliation. This study contributes to the social knowledge of the way discrimination affects minority ethnic groups' micro-aggression, group affiliation, and racial visibility.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Michiko Miyamoto and Keisuke Watanabe

This paper presents a framework and an empirical analysis for "Citizens Awareness Survey" of 2,126 citizens over twenty-year old, conducted by the Akita local government to understand the feelings and needs of the citizens toward the prefectural policy. The results of the research model using Structural Equation Model (SEM) imply that Akita local government's policies in “Health and medical services,” "Promotion of agriculture, forestry and fisheries," and “Employment and child care support” are related to their citizens' life satisfaction to some extent, while "Promotion of commerce and industry" and "Volunteer activities" are not.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Tom Carlsson

This paper has its focus on an area in eastern middle Sweden, 8000 – 6000 BC. It has the intention to presents several Mesolithic settlement sites situated within close to each other. Since several of the settlement sites includes remains of houses, preserved burnt animal bones and macrofossils the sites are fairly unique for the region. Radiocarbon dating illustrates that people stayed in the area and often used the very same places for more than 2000 years even though substantial changes in the composition of the landscape occurred. Despite an initial nearness to the ancient shores of the Baltic Sea, the Ancylus Lake, animal bones and macrofossils indicate an economical continuity of hunting and gathering in the woods. In Mesolithic research mobility is an axiom. Is the idea of mobility of small social groups between special purpose places in the inland and large coastal settlements still plausible, in the decade after 2010, as a general interpretative model? "Laboratory Archaeology": a DNA and a variation of Isotope analysis from different Mesolithic sites highlight a rather disparate picture for Mesolithic living in Europe. As any other truisms, mobility must constantly be discussed and reassessed. Unfortunately, because of bad preservation for organic material, apart from burnt and charcoal no further Isotope analysis where possible for the sites presented in the paper. But, even without any evidence from Isotopes analysis we must evaluate and consider other options than the standard model for mobility. In the paper I try to search for theoretical concept for place and landscape and I use Heidegger's concept of "dwelling" [19] to understand how Mesolithic man, in this area, established an economical/social relations to a set of places, locations, in the landscape. Places were more than a base for subsistence, increasingly appearing as 'places for the presence of the past, memories'. Peopled recreated that relationship by using places for every-day activities over and over again.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Ulrike Czeitschner and Barbara Krautgartner

Besides introducing the Baedeker Corpus, a digital collection of early German travel guides on non-European countries, key topics addressed in this paper are linguistic and in particular semantic annotation, domain-specific taxonomy building, corpus enrichment by embedding of external resources, and some good reasons why advanced textual studies on this genre are of interest. Early Baedeker handbooks are valuable rarities today because only a small number of copies escaped from frequent maltreatment of being cut up to save luggage weight on local trips. Those having endured give us a vivid impression of cultural narratives from the turn of the 19th century, and they tell more than one story. The presented project approaches this complex issue focusing on data development in general and the leading actors in the travel guides, people and notable sights in particular. Considering widely recognized standards for scholarly editing and relying on pan-European infrastructures to enhance data interchange and reusability, the aim is to make a well-equipped and freely accessible language resource available, which is meant to foster cross-disciplinary research on cultural representation and identity constructing discourses.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Pascal Kuokuei Kao

This essay proposes to recover the political site of suicide that has been displaced by a reflexive turn of sociology since the 1980s. Considering Giddens' social theory to be an example of such displacement, we argue that his early analysis of suicide is a vanishing mediator of his late discourses on society and modernity. Giddens coined a unique type called attempted suicide to invert Durkheim's typology before forging a secret link between suicide and agency. In so doing, Giddens' own recursive construction of society transferred to the reflexive regulation of modernity, thus tacitly admitting that routine structures have been destabilized into runaway systems. When Giddens advanced his life politics of intimacy and climate change, suicidal agency even became a strategy of survival. In conclusion, although taking modernity to the reflexive limit of individualization, Giddens did not break with the philosophical reasoning of the subject and the sociological reality of the social.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Robert Garfield

The island of São Tomé, located in the Gulf of Guinea off the west-central coast of Africa, has been the site of a broad cultural syncretism, especially regarding dance. The dances of São Tomé are a mixture of European. African and Jewish roots are unique to the island. The major dance forms are known as Tchiloli, Danço Congo, and Sócópé [or Ússua]. This paper traces the settlement of São Tomé by Portuguese (mostly the unwanted of Lisbon), Jewish exiles, and African slaves. Each group brought its own cultural practices to the island, where they blended in the small, isolated environment, and continued to evolve over the centuries, eventually incorporating 20th/21st Century costuming, instruments and movement.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Angelo Baracca and Rosella Franconi

Cuba is continuing attracting the attention of the international scientific community for some important and unexpected achievements in applied science such as health biotechnology. They represent outcomes of the 1959 decision of Cuba to develop an advanced scientific system in order to address the most urgent problems for the development of the country and to overcome the condition of subalternity. This ambitious objective was tackled in a very original way, making a broad and wide-ranging recourse to every effective support and collaboration, with Soviet but also Western scientists and institutions, in addition to a peculiar Cuban inventiveness. Indeed, immediately after the revolution, Cuba developed an advanced and articulated scientific system, and achieved a level of excellence in leading scientific fields, like biotechnology, quite independently from the Soviet Union, which was behind in this field. Even the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, that could have put the achievements of the Revolution at risk, posing again the threat of subalternity, under an intentionally worsened American embargo, did not change this trend: once more Cuba addressed this challenge reconfirming the strategic choice of supporting its most advanced and profitable scientific sectors, especially the capital-intensive and typically American field of health biotechnologies. This strategy proved to be once again a well-chosen course of action.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Paramonova S. P.

The article examines the socio-cultural phenomenon of favoritism as a social institution. It analyzes the role of a favorite both in large and small groups. The main theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the phenomenon of favoritism are presented, as well as the methodology and the methods of analyzing favoritism in groups. The indicators for the analysis of favoritism in a group are the types of moral consciousness within the context of the group role structure, namely a favorite. The article states a problem of studying favoritism, exemplified by the role concept of personality in relationship with moral consciousness.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 4

Michael Briguglio

This article analyzes the impacts of ENGOs with respect to Maltese climate change policy in an EU context. In particular, focus is made on the politics of climate change in Malta and the EU in the first five years following the country's EU accession, which led to the setting of energy emissions targets by 2020. The main conclusion of this article is that ENGOs formed part of an EU-wide hegemonic formation on climate change, wherein a common position with binding emissions targets was reached. The common position was signified around the discourse of ecological modernization. EU multi-level governance provided an opportunity for ENGOs to put forward discourses for climate-change adaptation.

]]>Apr 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 3

Birhanu Moges

A lot has been written about the psycho-social issues and challenges of children with mental retardation. The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of psycho-social issues and challenges of children with mental retardation. The study utilized qualitative research tools to explore the deep feelings of the participants. Purposive sampling technique and case study employed as a major study tools. The study used in-depth interview, observation and FGD. The collected data were organized and analyzed through qualitative research approach by using thematic analysis. Findings obtained from the study showed that children with mental retardation are facing different psychosocial challenges like stigma, discrimination, isolation, blame, shame, frustration, feeling of upset, self-insult, loneliness, losing respect, despairing (feeling of no hope), insult, anger and sadness. The study also found that the perception parents of children with mental retardation regarding the causes of retardation was changed from religious beliefs to possible causes of mental retardation as a result of the rehabilitation services. Further, praying, helping each other, reaction formation (insulting who insulted them), developing wishful thinking, and limiting one's interaction were some of the mechanisms explored from this study. The study finally concludes some measures to curb the negative belief systems of the communities towards the children with mental retardation. The study has a great implication for social work practice in the area of policy formulation, advocacy, community mobilization, empowerment, service provision, assessment and research in the areas of disability.

]]>Mar 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 3

Charles D. T. Macaulay

As an educator in multiple roles who embodies, what I contend is the oppressive trinity while working with individuals who possess identities vastly different than mine, I use this text discuss several practices and praxis that can disrupt the normative standard of American society. First, I discuss how capitalism, racism, and patriarchy operate not as autonomous and separate doctrines, but rather animate and give life to each other and thus should be thought of as one collective ideology as referred to as the oppressive trinity. Second, I discuss autoethnography as an experiential and narrative driven methodological approach incorporated in this analysis. This methodological approach is a unique stylistic and theoretical approach to research, which fuses theory and personal narrative together. Finally, I share a number of practices and praxis I have used to shred the veil obscuring my vision of how the oppressive trinity functions through its physical embodiment, material objects, cultural symbols, and social practices.

]]>Mar 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 3

Yona Miller and Ronit Izsak

Cheating in academia is described in the literature like an epidemic, and one which crosses geographic and cultural boundaries. Academic dishonesty hurts the reputations of institutes of higher education, and carries implications for the job market as well. Some studies have attributed the spread of this phenomenon to technological advancements, which have made it much easier to locate academic content and to copy it. Our study examined students' attitudes to various forms of academic dishonesty, and the connection between demographic, personal and situational variables and the attitudes and behaviors associated with academic dishonesty. Seven hundred and seventy-nine students of business management, psychology and education completed questionnaires regarding their attitudes towards academic dishonesty and their personal involvement in academically dishonest behavior. The results showed that the infractions that were perceived as most severe were cheating on exams and in final term papers. Other acts were viewed with less severity, like letting a friend copy a paper, and referencing sources in a paper that the student has not actually read. Education and psychology students perceived cheating as more severe than did students of business management. The latter were more likely to justify copying in certain situations, like when a course is not taught clearly or an exam is hard. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that the best predictors of attitudes and behaviors are the situational factors (i.e. the characteristics of the student's academic environment). Classroom norms and the severity with which the institute treats dishonesty were found to be the factors that most strongly influenced students' attitudes and behavior. Demographic and personal variables proved less reliable as predictors.

]]>Mar 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 3

Natali Levin

The goal of tort law and medical malpractice lawsuits is to restore the situation to its previous state. Namely, the compensation awarded to the victim aspires to return him to the situation before the damage was caused. However, this is not simple, since it is very difficult to measure mental damage or suffering experienced by the victim and to quantify it as financial payment. In tort lawsuits, including medical malpractice, there is a precise definition of the financial damage. The definition includes loss or any expense that can be quantified in money and can be detailed. In essence, it can be said that the Tort Ordinance does not provide a response as to how to calculate the damage, or a formula which defines the compensation and calculation of damage. The Courts in Israel differentiated between two types of pecuniary damage: general damage and special damage. The law in Israel does not determine a way to calculate compensation for pain and suffering of the victim, and the judge must form his impression regarding the medical opinion and calculate the scope of the suffering. The ruling determined criteria that influence the sum of the compensation. The age of the victim at the time of the accident affects the sum of the compensation awarded for pain and suffering. The Court, for the most part, examines the effect of the type of damage and its scope and its effect on the victim's quality of life.

]]>Mar 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 3

Adomas Butrimas

Several ritual complexes are known in Europe, the origins of which reach back to the Stone Age, and their chain of development includes the metal ages or even the period of official conversion to Christianity, such as Stonehenge (England), Newgrange (Ireland), and Alvastra near Lake Tåkern (Sweden). Such complexes stretching across a long chronological period are known also from western Lithuania, in Žemaitija (Samogitia). On the basis of archaeological, linguistic and historical research we attempt in this paper to reconstruct the development of the Donkalnis and Spiginas Mesolithic-Neolithic cemeteries, sacrificial hearths, and funerary feast sites, which date from the middle Mesolithic period to historical times. We have selected a very narrow area along the shores of Lake Biržulis in western Lithuania. During the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods this was an 800 m. east-west-oriented area, where discoveries have been made of settlements, sacrificial and burial sites, and a seer's grave. On the basis of archaeological and ethnological Indo-European studies and the earliest historical sources (namely, the land registers of the bishops of Žemaitija from 1421-1662) we study the later period from the early metal ages to the very late official conversion of the area to Christianity in 1413, during which time the area spread 1,000 m. westwards. An attempt is made to reconstruct the sacralisation and monumentalisation of this space over almost 7,500 years from 5980 B.C. to A.D. 1413-1421.

]]>Mar 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 3

Aide Esu

Several recent works have examined the relationship between social media and social movements in the latest cycle of protest. The article examines how media activism provides a cross-fertilising communication process by shaping a cosmopolitan imagination. First the article proposes the cases of Adbuster and Avaaz, as two examples of media activism, equally engaged in changing the state of the world. The similarities and the differences between the two case studies are highlighted in order to understand how a cosmopolitan imagination, as a new challenge to the global information society, is constructed. Second, I will explore how action shapes an online community, bypassing state borders and takes on a form that shares visions, actions and strategies and develops a new common language, representing a balance between two sets of tensions: the politics of universalism versus the acknowledgement of difference and the responsibility for action.

]]>Mar 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 3

Zeila Demartini

Political movements and wars in the Portuguese colonies in Africa in the 1970s were important in determining migration to Sao Paulo - Brazil, especially for those of Portuguese and their descendants who used to live there. In this paper, we seek to understand these new migratory flows and their influence on family experiences using oral histories of immigrants and their families as a complementary along with other sources. The narratives provide insight into the complex dynamics of family during their shifts; we find the conditions for the arrival of Portuguese to African regions, experiences of generations and the immigration to Brazil according to the existing possibilities at that time. With regards to family dynamics, we observed the frequent and unexpected separations in the immigration process and the constitution of families with different "cohabitation" in Portugal, Africa, Brazil - in each displacement, and disruptions of relatives who remain in the previous context or heading into other. The displacements of the African countries towards Sao Paulo in the 1970s contributed in the formation of "intercontinental" and mutant families, formed in each context by different participants. The reports made reference to family absences, the similarities and differences of cohabiting that were a result of living in a long distance. The displacements has not finalized for most families. There is a constant flow among Portugal, Africa and Brazil permeating these flows for economic, political, sentimental reasons, that brings people from different contexts together.

]]>Mar 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 3

Lei-xin Su Jian Wu and Yi Liu

With the culture concept, the China Dream is getting to permeate through every field of our lives. However the current situation is not that good in China, people still disseminate and introduce the traditional culture in an original way. Through the text analysis, questionnaire and comprehensive observation, there are several problems in China dream, in addition, there are different bottlenecks with the China Dream when facing the spread internally and externally, we find out that the Chinese government has set up an empty target for the wrong purpose from the very beginning, turning Chinese dream into the means of improving soft strength, not focus on our excellent tradition culture, to give a core connotation to China dream. This research is completely different with Chinese scholars, who focus on the establishment of the theory, or try to give a reasonable explanation for the Chinese government's stand. I believe the existing problems of China dream is caused by the Chinese government's position at the beginning of the decision. Now it's just payback time. So it's even more important to think about where the Chinese traditional culture should go next.

]]>Mar 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 2

Ivan Manyonga

The interaction of development and culture is an interesting discourse in the field of international development. In this field many studies on culture employs qualitative methodologies to obtain answers but, this paper uses quantitative approach to ignite a deep qualitative explanation on the fusion of culture and development. To establish the impact of development on culture change, access to electricity is treated as the main indicator of community development. Two provinces in Zimbabwe with contrasting levels of development were purposefully sampled in order to test the formulated working hypothesis that, "development has an effect on main attributes of an indigenous culture". This was followed by administration of an identical survey instrument carrying main attributes of indigenous Zimbabwean culture in the sampled two provinces. Multiple regression analysis techniques using Ordinal Least Squares were performed on the collected provincial data. Results failed to reject the research working hypothesis on the following attributes of culture; Language use among youth, indecent assault criminal cases, traditional and contemporary music while the working hypothesis was rejected on love relationships, dressing, and foreign music, language use with elders, robbery and drug use criminal cases.

This paper chronicles the process of developing a framework for measuring spatial planning outcomes in South Africa - defining and articulating the desired spatial planning outcomes as well as the mechanisms through which they can be measured. Given that the development of indicator sets and monitoring frameworks for spatial policy are considered as an ever-evolving iterative process as new agendas, challenges and opportunities emerge and others assume less importance, the paper proposes a suite of robust spatial development indicators which translate complex relationships involving a plurality of actors across different operationally independent policy sectors in a way that enables the tracking of spatial trends over time. It also enumerates the key success factors associated with implementing the proposed framework nestled on multiple spatial scales.

]]>Feb 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 2

Kela Nnarka Francis

Today's music scene, perpetuates segregation in music. However, such marketing belies the more permeable boundaries between genres or that elements of "black" music still exist in rock or that "white" elements exist in hip hop. One example of black musical elements in a "rock" song is Radiohead's "Bloom" the first track from The King of Limbs (TKOL) released in 2011. Any Radiohead fan can assert that part of the band's popular and critical appeal is their ability to layer sound, creating textured musical experiences. This architectural sound is taken a step further in "Bloom" which has a West African inspired rhythmic arrangement. Not only does this destabilize boundaries maintained by the marketing machine of the music industry, but it also raises some interesting cross cultural possibilities as to how the song might function. For example, given the multiple functions of West African music as political/social/spiritual productions, what insights might one gain by analyzing "Bloom" as a spiritual/psychic experience, especially from an African world view? This paper will examine the structure of "Bloom" using J.H. Kwabena Nketia's explanation of West African composition theory and explore the spiritual experience of "Bloom" using Wole Soyinka's theory of the "fourth stage" and the Bantu philosophy of vital force to illustrate the artificialness of the categories into which we place music and cultures.

]]>Feb 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 2

Harry Russell

This article aims to address the relevance of current public and political movements in relationship to America's economic philosophical views and outcomes as reaction to President Obama's Economic Recovery Plan. The discussions take into account the views of varying segments of the population as expressed through the actions and opinions of the Occupy and Tea Party Movements. Connections between economic views and theories of Adam Smith, Alexander Hamilton, And John Keynes and economic principles of these two movements in relationship to the President's theoretical plan are presented. A look into the roles of liberalism, conservatism, and plutocracy are considered as part of the ideological discourse of various segments of the American populous. Views of the government bailout and other stimulus plans introduced by the Administration are explored in relationship to the views held by the two competing movements and the competing political ideologies. The outcome of which is that the President's plan is more closely aligned with the concerns of the occupy movement, Keynesian economic policy theory, and liberalism.

]]>Feb 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 2

Dilek Eroğlu

This study questions the effects of climate change on gender roles in rural areas. The data was obtained from women's focus groups situated in 12 villages of Hasankeyf area which is located in Dicle basin of the Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey. Through the research, it is brought into light that the structure of crop production is shifting from irrigated farming to dry farming like rice to wheat and mainly the women in rural areas are affected by climate change. Because of drought, seasonal migration is common to men and gender roles are shifting in agriculture. There is feminization in agriculture as drought increases.

]]>Feb 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 2

Philip Dandolov

This paper examines two cases in which the European Union (mainly through its normative influences) reduces the playing space for nationalist parties or is a factor in their declining electoral fortunes, which nonetheless does not result in a marked transformation of the parties' ideologies in a staunchly anti-EU fashion. The Ataka party in Bulgaria and the HZDS in Slovakia both exemplify the principle of charismatic leadership and are regarded as strongly focused on nationalism, while also exhibiting populist and anti-establishment leanings. Ataka reached the height of its popular support between the mid and late 2000s and is currently represented in the National Parliament of Bulgaria. On the other hand, the HZDS was a significant factor in Slovak politics between the Velvet Divorce and the late 1990s, but is no longer active, as it was dissolved in January 2014. The conclusion reached by comparing the fortunes of these factions is that encouraging the imposition of a direct or indirect "cordon sanitaire" by the mainstream parties on anti-establishment ones under the direction of the EU could actually have a beneficial effect in terms of altering the party's orientation and moving its opposition to the EU within the "soft Euroscepticism" spectrum.

]]>Feb 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Lee Lipscomb Matt Sarago and Andrew Kaplan

The Center recognizes the significant role of the Internet in getting new and lesser-known resources to the legal community because of the ease of accessibility and locating grey literature to answer legal questions. Therefore, the Center developed its new website to function as an open access repository of its robust grey legal collection. Successes and setbacks are revealed as analytics demonstrate an increase and eventual plateau in electronic resource requests. Center information professionals must overcome access issues through improved architecture and search design to maintain current patrons and attract new users to the website. The Center's contribution to the body of grey literature after more than four decades of existence is astounding, but without effective promotion of our collection on the Internet, the rest of the world will never know about this significant body of work.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Nuran Erol Isik

The following paper evaluates some of the sociological data collected during the field work in Van, Turkey in 2007-2009, as part of an ethno-archeological study of a village located in an area known as "Ayanis" (Agartı), previously part of the Urartian Kingdom (third and second millennium BC). The field work is exploratory and ethnographic in nature, documenting the socio-economic characteristics of the villagers, spatial patterns of inhabitants, material cultural artifacts, and belief systems and attitudes about social institutions. The village of Ayanis has become a focus for inquiry due to its geographical location and sociological characteristics as it gives important indicators to understand a village in transition. Thus, the data presented in this article contribute to village studies as well as village survey monograph tradition, which represent a major methodological tool as well as a tendency in rural studies in Turkey.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Farid Abu Liel Rn, Mmhn Denise Ziya Berte and Sabrina Russo

Introduction: The objective of this research is to provide a qualitative analysis of the effects of living in a zone of militarized activity under hostile occupation on minor aged children. Ongoing political conflict affects the individual, cultural, societal and economic lives of children creating significant challenges for positive development in the area of mental health in particular. There is a grave lack of knowledge related to the way children understand the geo-political realities in which they reside. This study works to provide a descriptive analysis from the individual perspective, of the experience of Palestinian children in an area of high frequency violent conflict under a situation of hostile resisted occupation with the goal of deepening the awareness to the process of adaptation to traumatic stress and of understanding the immediate and long term effects of traumatic exposure while highlighting areas for support and positive intervention. Methodology: The investigation incorporated a qualitative phenomenological descriptive design utilizing guided interviews. 15 children were selected in a purposeful representational sample. Children were identified due to their personal participation in civil protests, and/or having direct experiences as victims of occupying military action (including having tear gas canisters thrown at them, being shot with rubber bullets and live ammunition, being arrested, being assaulted by soldiers, being interrogated, having their homes entered and inspected without permission, having their parents beaten and arrested in their presence, etc.). Data was analyzed by using Giorgi's phenomenological psychology method (1985). Results: Three major themes and ten sub-themes were identified: (1) Exposure to Traumatic Events (threats to well-being, witnessing violence, direct violence, deprivation of freedom, lack of safety and fear); (2) Normalization (trauma play, underestimation of risk); (3) Resilience (the active creation or search for positive support in the current environment, self-efficacy, awareness of self, feelings of belonging, and belief in trusted adults). Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the importance of understanding the experience of continual intermittent traumatic events on the psychological, behavioral, and cognitive development of children living in militarized conflict zones and the important role that efficacy, community support and trust play in supporting resilience in such circumstances.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Yasemin Güniz Sertel

This study aims to depict the inability of a traumatized Vietnam War veteran David in his attempts to adapt himself into his former life, family and especially to the cultural and social ideologies of his homeland upon his return to American society in his changed consciousness. On the other hand, his family, the Nelsons, which becomes a microcosm of American society, has also difficulties in embracing this physically and mentally changed man since he has become a threat to the safe grounds of their happy American family ideology. This study attempts to explore how and why David becomes a threat for his family and society from the political aspect. 'The politics of race' and 'the politics of class' will formulate the interpretations of the play as two major modes of political reading.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Ginbar Nagara

The paper has aimed to propound the conception of femininity and masculinity in the traditional expression of gender in the Oromo mainstream culture, the xunduu (coupling) Synopsis. Xunduu is a bipolar means of expressing female and male overall organizations and relationships in the universe in pairing order of corresponding arrangement. Xunduu is gada born Oromo knowledge of gender which states about the general organizational arrangement, the overall power relationships, responsibilities and roles between husband and wife. The research was conducted in Oromiya. Data were mainly collected from literature and through systematic interview of female and male elders, observation of their cultural landscape and ethnographic objects. The finding indicates that, Xunduu is a manner of expressing a wife-husband relationship in replicating to biological sexual beings, non-biological and non-sexual things which are essential and respected, ordered in pairing and corresponding arrangement in their culture. The result also shows that from the nature of objects replicating gender and the methods of presentation, xunduu was a means to pursuing the practices of gender bipolar in the egalitarian gada ethos. It is recommended that as the culture is under strong pressure from internal and external forces, it needs to work towards preserving and enhancing such thoughtful wisdom towards gender empowerment.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Scott A. Olsen

Is it possible that the human body is like a tuning fork capable of going into attunement or resonance with fundamental ratios that give rise to blissful connection - states of quantum coherence resulting in deep insights, even samadhi or cosmic consciousness? History is replete with a variety of techniques that appear to support this hypothesis.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Jean Carlo Faustino

This article aims to address the song-form of moda-de-viola: a music genre considered genuinely Brazilian and of rural origin; however, it was disseminated by the record industry throughout the twentieth century. The issue will be addressed by analyzing the constituent elements of this musical genre, which was based on a bibliographical review of authors who have systematically studied the topic, which was in contrast to studies conducted by the author of this article. So, the exposition of this analysis will be accomplished by revealing the elements that are necessarily present in every moda-de-viola, followed by those elements which eventually appear on compositions. This exposition will, however, be preceded by an introduction that seeks to contextualize the relevance of this reflection for the study of moda-de-viola itself. This argument is readdressed in the final considerations of the article, which looks forward to presenting new research possibilities suggested (or reopened) by this reflection, followed by a brief overview of what was previously present.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Solomon Emiru Gutema

Gadaa system is a well comprehensively guided, crafted and nurtured system of traditional administration under the unbelievable wisdom of the ancient Oromo people in the horn of Africa. It is difficult to recall exactly when and where Gadaa system had started. However, it is determined beyond any reasonable doubt that the Oromo people have been utilizing Gadaa system as a traditional mechanism to ensure social justice for centuries. It is possible to consider Gadaa system as an unwritten form of the nation's covenant or constitution in modern sense. It is developed and evolved from the cumulative experiences gained from experiments, practices, customs, and lessons of many generations of the Oromo society in a very long period. Accordingly, Gadaa system is extremely broad and comprises of all aspects life like religion, Politics and culture of the Oromo people. Nevertheless, this paper puts its emphasis on exploring the prevailing prospects and challenges in harnessing Gadaa system as constitutional administration in modern democratic governance. Hence, to achieve its goal, the researcher employs qualitative method which includes reviewing the existing and relevant literatures, assessing legal documents like FDRE Constitution of 1995, and evaluating the Gadaa tradition in comparison with the modern principles of Constitutional administration. Therefore, the findings of this research claim that Gadaa system is a covenant for the Oromo people. Since all Oromo, in all age groups will give their consent to select or elect their representatives/leaders. Since the people puts limitations on the powers of elected representatives through the principles of Gadaa administration and furthermore, as the nation have Gadaa system as guarantees to make their leaders accountable and transparent both legally and politically in their day to day official decisions. For this reason, the researcher recommended that all the concerned party in general and all the Oromo scholars and peoples in particular must strive a lot in harnessing the principles of Gadaa system in their modern administration at national and international level.

The purpose of this article is presentation of examinations results at creating the system supporting the officers' examination and the Police employees and other services responsible for internal safety of the State. System SINDBAD (Information System for Research and Decision Analysis) will be built basing on detailed analysis of future employees' needs and will be equipped with creating and examinations management modules, legal acts consultations, analysis of crisis situations and statistical analyses. The system will enable maximum anonymity of speech and securing against access of unauthorized people. The described examinations are conducted within the Project „Construction of IT system supporting the Communications in the Police and in dependent forces MSW in aspect of internal safety, Nr DOB-BIO7/03/01/2015 co-financed by National Research and Development Centre in Warsaw. The result of the Project will be among others anonymous IT module platform serving as collection and analysis of data enabling monitoring of problematic areas and planning intervention on the level of organization in order to ensure internal security, including organizational-technical solutions ensuring anonymity of involved people. Therefore, the presentation of detailed analysis will be possible after completion of the project - at the beginning of the year of 2018. As of now, we can only show partial results and the comprehensive analysis will be available when the project is finished.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Sheka Bangura and Sangho Kim

We have discovered education as a lead predictor of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa with evidence from Sierra Leone based on the country's integrated household survey 2011. Noticeably, education expenditure could have negative direct impact on welfare in the short run even though it delivers long run positive effect through indirect effect of covariates. This explains an inevitability of policy trade-offs with the simultaneous decision making problems a poor household faces, which would sometimes have to reduce health spending in favour of child education. Thus, careful policy is critical to ensuring optimal balance of effects on general household welfare that derive from household decision making problems.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Marcelo Pereira de Mello and José Antonio Callegari

This paper aims to evaluate the changes of state management in Brazil promoted by the Fiscal Responsibility Law (FRL). Sanctioned on May 4th, 2000 as the outcome of a long process of maturation of Brazilian public management resulting from the joint effort of both government and society, the FRL has since then guided the state bureaucracy as well as the citizenry in regard to monitoring and supervising public expenditure. As the catalyst of a shift in the traditional patrimonialism inherent to the Brazilian culture of public management, the aforementioned law has delivered good results in the management of public resources despite some backlashes experienced during its effectiveness. As it stands, it is our conviction that the current economic crisis in the country bears a direct relationship with the neglect of the FRL by the last governments. Ultimately, we maintain that the institutional settings of the more recent crises in Brazil, from the 1980s and 1990s to the present, as well as of the current crisis in Europe, do not call into question the efficiency of international covenants on fiscal adjustment, but rather the laxity in their making.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Erica Jablonski

In this participation observation study conducted in the northeastern United States, I used Erving Goffman's theories on the presentation of self in everyday life and on stigma to analyze the content and relative success of five service provider presentations about issues relevant to people with disabilities or older adults needing assistance to live independently. A stated goal of all presentations was to increase understanding of the needs of the populations served, but it was apparent that the purpose of increased understanding was to reinforce prosocial behaviors toward service users. In other words, service provider presentations were socialization events seeking to engage attendees in enhanced positive social interactions with the subjects of each presentation. Audience member engagement at the presentations varied based on the social roles of audience members, their stance relative to the populations discussed, and the extent to which the presentations pushed them to accept redefined social roles and behaviors. By analyzing the positive, negative, engaged, and detached nature of social exchanges in these presentations, it may be possible to reveal more and less effective ways that service providers can help modify the interaction rituals between social actors and stigmatized populations.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 5 Number 1

Maria Salet Ferreira Novellino

The purpose of this paper is to verify whether and in which degree Brazilian's local policies are oriented toward strategic or practical gender needs. In order to achieve that I analyzed data on Brazilian local gender policies from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics' Survey of Basic Municipal Information 2009, the main findings of this analysis were: in 4,522 (81.3%) out of the 5,564 Brazilian municipalities there were not any gender unit. Only in 1,042 (18.7%) municipalities there was a gender unit. Only 3.4% of them have designed a plan and 6.8% have a budget. Around 7% of the municipalities implemented policies that address violence against women. Among these initiatives were shelters and domestic violence resource center. Policies were also implemented in education, health, or work. Some programs are developed in cooperation with the government at the national or state level, NGOs, religious institutions and worker's organizations. Among these, NGOs and religious institutions stand out. The greater the municipality's population size, the greater the likelihood of the existence of a gender unit. Gender policies were different across the Brazilian states as well. For instance, in Roraima, a state in the Northern Region, there was not any municipality with policies addressing women. It has been observed as well whether Mayors' characteristics were associated with the existence of gender policies in the municipalities.

]]>Jan 2017Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Adane Zawdu

Following recent studies on everyday de-stigmatization processes [1], I examine in this paper the culture resources working class Ethiopian-Israelis mobilize to contest stigmatized notions of Ethiopianness. Based on 30 in-depth interviews, and an ethnographically informed analysis of those interviews, I present two types of culture resources. The first is the use of "Ethnic Culture," in which Ethiopianness is presented as unproblematic ethnic distinctiveness, and non-Ethiopian Israelis are grouped along ethnic lines of different, but equally valued groupings. This is a strategy that emphasizes group membership and handles ethnic distinctions as commonsensical. The second is the use of "Universalism," in which all potential group memberships are rejected as meaningless for individual self-identification and evaluation. This strategy emphasizes equality on universal ground and uses various all-inclusive criteria. Guided by two distinct logics, emphasizing vs. rejecting group membership, both strategies are oriented towards creating horizontal relations with others. While previous studies emphasized the role of racial and national boundaries in the de-stigmatization processes among Ethiopian Israelis, the variations in this paper shed light on the working of ethnicity as a commonsensical source of value; thus, enabling us to further specify the different logics behind the absence of racial language among ordinary Ethiopians, and the varied degrees to which national boundaries matter in everyday contestation over stigmatized notions of group membership.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Nadzrah Ahmad and Ahmad Nabil B. Amir

This paper aims to analyze the method of Qur'anic hermeneutic (al-ta'wil) as set forth by Muhammad Asad in his magnum opus, The Message of the Qur'an. Its objective is to study the underlying method he crafted in the commentary and the influence it projected in the Muslim world. The study of Muhammad Asad's method is crucial to gain an understanding of his modern worldviews, and the underlying pattern of scientific and rational thought grounded in his work, which reflected the renewal project of Islam advocated by Shaykh Muhammad Abduh and Sayid Muhammad Rashid Rida in Tafsir al-Manar.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Britta Lundgren

During the start of the A(H1N1) pandemic 2009, the WHO talked of the pandemic as an extreme expression of the global need for solidarity, and vaccination as the preferred national response. While seasonal vaccination mostly is framed as an individual benefit, the pandemic mass-vaccination in Sweden was framed in terms of solidarity. In the context of public health in Sweden, solidarity has worked as a rational evidence-based argument for politicians as proof of a reflexive and confident welfare nation. Solidarity was also perceived as an emotion that was possible to enact in bodily practice and would serve the goal of reaching herd immunity for the population. In this article these "politico-somatic" aspects of the pandemic preparedness and response are examined through qualitative methods such as ethnological interviews and fieldwork. The article discusses the entangled articulations of compassion and containment during the pandemic and how the side effect of narcolepsy from the vaccine Pandemrix disrupted the interpretations of solidarity as a relational concept. For the future, it is important to learn the lessons from the pandemic response, including how the issue of the side effect will influence coming preparedness and how the forces of compassion and containment will work. As long as it is not ignored, this side effect can enable the possibility to create strengthened reflexive awareness, which in turn strengthens public trust regarding possible future interventions.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Bill Meacham

The language we use to talk about consciousness, experience, mind, subjectivity and the like is ambiguous. Different people use common terms in different ways without realizing it, and thereby foster confusion. In this paper a terminology is proposed for speaking of subjectivity. An operational definition is given of the term "subjectivity," and from that standpoint usages of the terms "experience," "consciousness" and "awareness" are proposed. The approach is both phenomenological in the tradition of Husserl, examining that which is given directly from a first-person point of view while holding in abeyance interpretive theories, and analytic in the British tradition, attempting to clarify terminology used to discuss what is found in such phenomenological investigation. After proposing definitions of salient terms, suggestions are given for reframing confusing language. To make the speaker's meaning clear it is recommended to avoid the term "consciousness" altogether.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Karen V. Duhamel

Living successfully into older adulthood is becoming the new social norm. As one ages, the older adult may experience doubt and insecurity about one's ongoing purpose in life, leading to feelings of failure and stagnation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of creativity as a requisite to living a successful life into older adulthood. By examining creativity from a variety of perspectives, social scientists and healthcare professionals can better understand the importance of empowering older adults to tap into their inner resources to promote creative expression leading to self-transformation and personal satisfaction. This paper will discuss the connection between creativity and successful aging by investigating biopsychosocial and cultural indicators, conceptual frameworks, and the benefits of incorporating creativity into the aging process through mind, body and spirit analysis.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Leila da Costa Ferreira and Marina Martinelli

This article analyzes governmental responses for the climate change challenge in China and Brazil. Both countries have a central role in the climate change debate since they are major greenhouse gases emitters, thus contributing to the aggravation of the problem, each with differentiated participation. At the same time, policy measures aimed at climate issues in these countries may lead to the reconfiguration of international negotiations on the topic. The methodological aspects include three main points of analysis: the trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions in both countries; political and institutional structures mobilized to the climate issue and focusing on mitigation and policy responses related to climate change.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Cristina Lopes

Valcamonica is one of the most famous sites with rock art that particularly points out the weapons, and show us in the carved stones and archaeological remains glimpses of the past. It offers a fascinating and intriguing journey, for the many aspects that goes beyond the technical-utilitarian assessments. This journey enters in the field of art, the symbolic, the religious rituals and celebrations with the corollaries arising therefrom (On this arguments see Anati [1,2]). The weapons then, understood primarily as a substantial indicator of the psycho-physical development process of our species, are as a mirror of technical, social and ideological development [3] and have a major importance in this work.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Alejandra Vega

The emergence of the first urban sikus bands in the late 19th Century was closely related to the performance of such ensembles in traditional Andean Catholic religious celebrations. At present, the relationship between Catholic devotion and these bands is preserved among the small populations of the Andean region of Bolivia, Peru, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. By contrast, in the context of the current processes of re-ethnicization, the sikus bands in large cities have not only lost the strong bonds with the Church, questioning its role during the Spanish conquest, but have adapted and recreated pre-Hispanic beliefs and appropriated Eastern notions and ideas of the sacred as reformulated and disseminated by New-Age movements. I will explore and analyze the contrasting narratives that dispute "religious authenticity" among the members of sikus bands in contemporary Buenos Aires. This article is based on data gathered in my ethnographic fieldwork conducted in several phases between 2001 and 2012 in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires, through participant observation in different sikus bands and from interviews with key informants.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Sabrina Testa

This paper intends to describe how the general organization of the "Communion and Liberation" Movement is interpreted and operacionalized locally in South America. Communion and Liberation is an international catholic movement headquartered in Italy, where it enjoys a standing social and political influence. Previous studies tend to characterize the movement in terms of its general institutional structure and philosophy, based mostly on official sources and public activity in the Italian context. However, there is little information about how the movement works at the basis level, and how it does son in contexts different form Italy. In fact, Communion and Liberation is a movement addressed to laypersons and conducted by them at the local level, hence it can be also understood as a network of contacts and bonds that creates forms of sociability and of experiencing faith that cross different national, regional and cultural borders. In this regard, this paper presents some findings about how Communion and Liberation is understood and put into practice in specific locations of South America. Data comes from an ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2009 and 2012 with two different groups of Communion and Liberation. The first one took place within the university group of a city located in the central region of Argentina and the second one within the adult group of a city located in the south of Brazil.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Harry Perlstadt

During the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, several waves of a plague killed an estimated one-third of the civilian Athenian population and one-fourth of its army. Thucydides account of the plague (430-426 BCE) and the subsequent rise of the cult of Asclepius can be examined as perhaps the earliest case study of collective behavior and a social movement. In his account of the plague, Thucydides reveals a sociological imagination and concepts including anomie and escalating stages of collective behavior. Social movements often arise in times of sudden changes and social unrest, becoming a source of spiritual and political empowerment. The cult of Asclepius rose to prominence after the plague as a redemptive and reformative social movement. In the wake of the plague, the cult established new religious norms of healing and supported the growth of Hippocratic medicine throughout the ancient Mediterranean world.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Gladys Ngoran

The study examined the various forms of violence dominant in Cameroon schools, its perpetrators and their reactions to the practice, through a questionnaire survey administered to 500 adolescent students within the age range of 11 to 20 years. This sample was drawn from two secondary schools in the North West Region of Cameroon, (one day and the other boarding). We worked from the premise that violence was a common practice but subject to sanctions in Cameroon schools as in other parts of the world. Its' practice even in the face of deterrent school sanctions has persisted despite its negative impact on personality development. Data from the survey was analyzed by use of simple percentages with a comparison of its practice between boys and girls and between types of schools. Both physical and verbal forms of violence were reported to be dominant in the schools, with no significant difference in either of them. More boys than girls were equally reported to be involved in practicing acts of violence, with a high rate of violence on boys by boys followed by violence on girls by boys. Although sanctions on violence exist and are similar in both types of schools, its dimension was indicated to be higher in boarding schools than it is the case in day schools. Given that violence is dominant in the schools despite the sanctions administered by school authorities, the study suggests a home and school-based counseling approach that favors orientation against the practice in Cameroon schools. This can be reinforced through a national education policy that discourages violence.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 12

Grażyna Woroniecka

The article tackles the issue of the field of research into the contemporary sociology of dwelling. In the light of extremely liberal housing policy based on the assumption of housing needs being financed with the capital of the individual buyers due to their purchasing capabilities (via loans), one may acknowledge that dwelling culture has undergone significant change. Though slowly and with obstacles, market demand is causing a certain differentiation in what is available, and this is accompanied by equally sluggish processes in the reshaping of buyers' expectations. The evolving demographic structure, changing customs, increased mobility (compared to the Polish People's Republic) and migration processes comprise a new picture of models, practices and preferences related to one's dwelling. The developing rental market is conducive for the adjustment of supply to these preferences, though slowly and despite unfavourable regulations, although there is still a long way to go before it becomes fully functional. Housing policies are doing little to meet the real expectations, focusing only on the issue of financing social housing. The sociology of dwelling faces the task of compiling a description of cultural change that could become the basis for constructing micro- and mezzo- housing policies based on the self-reference concept of the buyers' interest, thus showing a greater degree of adequacy and lower level of ideologisation.

]]>Dec 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 11

Hye-Yeon Lim and W. I. Griffith

Successful foreign language learners need to have intercultural communicative competence that goes beyond linguistic knowledge. This paper focuses on designing activities that promote intercultural communicative competence in foreign language learning. Competence in intercultural communication requires an understanding of both the L1 and L2 cultures. Using the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) [1] skill levels, this paper looks at the role of intercultural competence in developing effective cross-cultural communication. The paper presents lesson activities designed to build such intercultural competence from the elementary through professional working competency levels as defined by the ILR scale. The sample activities address specific cultural objectives, activate higher-order critical thinking skills, and have the added advantage of allowing teachers to recycle information to anchor and reinforce existing knowledge.

]]>Nov 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 11

Hessam Ghamari and Cherif Amor

The objective of this study is to overview the literature relative to color, as an environmental constituent, and its impacts in healthcare environments. Borrowing from the environmental behavioral paradigm, this study attempts to decipher myths and misconceptions as well as highlight well-evidenced research findings. Broad Literature review journal articles and reports of empirical studies in multiple disciplines were studied to identify theories, which could have design implications for color in healthcare design. Despite the incongruity and fragmentation of previous studies, it emerges from this overview that color impacts healthcare outcomes by reducing medical errors, promoting the sense of well-being, reducing stress, improving patients sleep, reducing length of stay, reducing spatial disorientation, increasing patient satisfaction, and increasing staff morale and productivity. While the review of literature indicates major findings relative to the impact of color on healthcare environments, yet ambiguities remained to be addressed. Previous studies on the use of color in healthcare environment have illustrated that there are some obvious, replicable, behavioral and perceptual effects from color that addressed their use in certain ways for design. However, color must be observed and analyzed in the contextual application to avoid generalizations about color perception and mood affects.

This paper presents the general sanitation practices by the traders in a major market in Kuje located in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and our efforts in reorientating the market stakeholders towards the provision and use of a new dry sanitation toilet complex. The market is known for its diversity in Nigerian ethnicity, culture and the variety of goods and services. A novel toilet complex was designed and built which has the following features: 8 toilet units (4 each for male and female), urine diversion, a gender-segregated urinal, a urine storage tank, used menstrual absorbents disposal facility for women, bathing facility and a composting chamber for organic fertilizer production from the generated faecal matter and market wastes. The design also made provision for culturally sensitive persons to use a small spray of water for anal cleaning. There was provision for hand washing with soap. The respondents provided baseline information that enabled the design features through 5 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and 2 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). This was followed by interviewed administered, semi-structured questionnaire which utilized a total sampling approach where the owners of all the 199 lock-up and open stalls in the market were enrolled and participated in the study. The mean age of the respondents was 34.3 ± 9.7 years and 55.8 % were females. The sources of water in the market were: hand dug well (11.7 %), borehole (37.6 %), water vendor (41.6 %) and sachet water (9.1 %). The market has three existing toilets that were mostly patronized by males. Due to poor maintenance of the existing toilets, women preferred open defecation and use of potty in their stalls, disposed with solid wastes. Most respondents (80.7 %) were willing to pay and use the newly built dry toilet in the market as they perceive aesthetics (28.9 %), cleanliness (21.8%) and disease prevention (6.6%) as major benefits. The toilet design serves as a model for other public institutions where sanitation is compromised. The market community owns, operates and maintains the facility and the user charges are levied for sustainability.

]]>Nov 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 11

Ladan Rahbari

This article addresses women's contemporary position in academia in Iran. By systematically reviewing available academic and official databases on women's positions in academia published online or in print, the question is raised if women's current position and role in academia is the result of personal choice making or an existent systematic discriminatory social structure. To address this issue, available Iranian research and data on female recruitment in universities are analyzed. The results show that there is a general accordance on two findings in the research addressing women's position in academia. First, gender discrimination is restricting women's choices by systematically excluding them from educational, managerial and administrative positions. Second, in spite of the substantial increase in women's enrolment in tertiary education, significant development in women's position and role in scientific and educational institutions has not taken place. After discussing the data, I will try to compare two sets of sociological theoretical approaches that offer explanations for women's lower levels of participation in the academia; namely, theories of exclusion and theories of participation. I suggest that the former is more effective in analyzing women's position in Iranian academia, because of being based on recognition of the existing structural discriminations. Although women's participation in higher education is gradually growing and gender boundaries are being stretched on a daily basis, there is need for fundamental structural changes in social and educational spheres, and widespread implementation of positive discrimination.

]]>Nov 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 11

Esther Duah and J. T. Bugri

Slums are tagged as home for the urban poor and have been described as one of the world's most life threatening environments because of their extremely poor environmental and housing conditions. Their existence has often caught the attention of political leaders because of their obvious drag on the national development agenda of developing countries. The nature of the slum problem has often led to calls for "slum-free" environments from politicians and development practitioners alike. Yet, from the perspectives of slum dwellers themselves, slums are places of socio-economic livelihoods in which they do recognize the insufficiency of their environments but possess limited capacities in changing these conditions. They appear crippled by the hopelessness of poverty and inadequacy to cause any such dramatic change in their environments. The United Nations millennium development goal 7 target 11 gives the task of achieving significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. This emphasizes the world's recognition of the need to actively intervene to bring about improvement in the lives of slum dwellers. This paper discusses the approaches that have been used in dealing with the slum problem in the country which has been retrogressive so far as against the prospects of the regenerative redevelopment of slums. Detailed empirical data on the Anloga-Sobolo township in the Kumasi Metropolis is used to examine the feasibility of regenerative slum redevelopment in Ghana as propounded extensively in literature. The township is characterized by haphazard development of an originally planned township due largely to rapid urbanization and weaknesses in land policies and planning system. The subject secondary data was primarily collected between 2009 and 2010 for a case study sample a sample size of 180 individual stakeholders and three (3) institutional stakeholders. It is the conclusion of the paper that while slum redevelopment is feasible in Ghana, the regenerative redevelopment approach is more likely to attain "slum-friendly" environments as opposed to the slum clearance approach based on the notion of "slum-free" environments. It is thus recommended that political will to commit resources to a priority programme of slum redevelopment in the long-term by governments is needed to make headway in slum redevelopment in Ghana and the developing world as a whole.

]]>Nov 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 11

Chyong-fang Ko

The author uses data from the European Values Study 2008 to investigate possible links between gender-related attitudes and fertility rates in EU member states. Countries with higher income levels and female employment rates were found to have higher fertility rates, and countries with higher fertility rates tended to have higher percentages of live births outside of marriage, suggesting a significant change in traditional family structure. A positive correlation between gender equity and reduced traditional gender role expectations was observed in wealthier countries, which also had greater female labor force participation and higher fertility rates. In wealthy Western societies, couples no longer have children for purposes of extending family lines or providing support in old age. For many women, children and careers now go hand-in-hand.

]]>Nov 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 11

Enric Vicens Rosa Dueñas and Vicenç Tort

Introduction: The relationship between violent offences, mental disorder and substance-use disorders has been widely analyzed but has produced contradictory results. Studies examining this relationship in prison populations are scarce. Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between violent crime, substance-use disorders and mental disorder. Method: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, epidemiological study of 707 male prisoners. Socio-demographic, clinical and penal data were collected by trained interviewers. Penal data were confirmed using penitentiary records. The clinical version of the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID 1) for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders was used for diagnosis of Axis I mental disorders (including substance-use disorders). Inmates who have lifetime substance-use disorders were classified by type and number of substances used. We considered violent offences: homicide and attempted homicide, aggravated assault, common assault, robbery, threatening behavior, harassment, arson and any sexual offence. Results: Violent offences in inmates who used drugs (n=370) were more prevalent than in inmates who did not (84.6% vs.15,3%, p<0.0001).The risk of committing a violent crime is double for people using a substance compared to those who do not and those who are not repeat offenders (OR= 2.03 CI 95%: 1.08-3.78). This risk increases when considering repeat offenders and those who use more than one substance (OR= 5.35 CI 95%: 1.26-10.05). The presence of a mental disorder turns out not to be significant (OR= 1.38 CI 95%: 0.98-1.95). Conclusions: In our study, the greatest risk factors for committing a violent offence were being a re-offender and using more than one substance. Mental disorder was not found to be a risk factor for violent offences.

]]>Nov 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 11

Munala Gerryshom Kweya Mugwima B.N. Omotto J. and Rosana, E.

Human waste can become an eye-sore when not properly disposed off. It is estimated that every human generates about 300g of human waste per day. In Kenya's largest informal settlement, Kibera - with a population of over one million people - the phenomenon of the "fly toilet" is a daily scourge to life here. Umande and its partners have built 57 bio-centres in Nairobi. Bio-centres have turned the mountains of odorous human waste from a problem into an asset. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how innovative solutions can be made to tackle sanitation challenges and turn envisaged waste into a resource. A survey of the constructed bio-centres in Kibera was made to assess the versatility of the bio-centres. It was revealed that the bio-centres in Kibera have collected 60,000kg of human waste and turned it into biogas. They have further improved access to proper sanitation to the community and built the capacity of community-based organizations to design, plan, construct, manage, and market ecological sanitation services. These bio-centres have reduced methane emissions to the environment are definitively scalable renewable energy source option in the informal settlements.

]]>Nov 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 11

Richard R. Zito

Many cultures of antiquity have made naked-eye observations of large sunspot displays. The Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Greeks, have all made such observations. Pictorial evidence on dated Mesoamerican monuments suggests that similar observations may have been made in the New World as well. In this regard, Tomb 1 at Río Azul is of particular interest. Within the tomb, murals depict a spotted Sun God as the "father" of Tikal king "Curl Snout" (Yax Nuun Ayiin I). Therefore, the murals of Tomb 1 corroborate the information gleaned from Stela 31. However, the iconography at Río Azul is more explicit, with the Sun God displaying two Kin signs on his head. As in the previous report on Stela 31, the spotted Sun God is probably a reference to the naked eye sunspot series terminating in 400 AD that presaged the end of Curl Snout's life in 404 AD.

]]>Nov 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 11

Asiye Kakırman Yıldız

Evidence based library management is one of the most significant contemporary developments in professional library practice. Although they are non-profit making organisations, the main aim of libraries is to satisfy their customers, that is, the library users. This aim is achieved as long as the needs and expectations of the users are met. For this reason, the libraries must know their users very well and must provide a service which fulfils their needs and expectations. Therefore, rather than following fashionable or popular approaches which are discussed in the literature, libraries should carry out their own analyses and develop an evidence-based service policy for their users. In the studies made by Mark Prensky, individuals are classified and evaluated according to their technological abilities and skills into 2 groups as "digital natives" or "digital immigrants" and since this time the subject has continued to be discussed. According to Prensky, those born before 1980 should be classed as digital immigrants and those born after 1980 are classed as digital natives. The digital natives were literally born into a world of knowledge and technology. The most important characteristic of digital natives is that not only do they perform more than one function on a single device simultaneously. In this study it was analyzed that whether the students that study in the different faculties of Marmara University are digital natives or not. The study also examines how to user group of "digital hybrids" has an effect on the management procedures of the library and how this element affects the management of the other elements. The questionnaire that formed the basis of this study was applied to 382 students and their approach to accessing information was analysed. After the completion of the survey, a new category of "digital hybrids" was proposed; it is suggested that digital natives, who in the literature are described as those born after 1980, should in fact be defined as those born after the year 2000, digital immigrants should be defined as those born before 1970 and those between from 1970-1999 should be described as digital hybrids. The result of this study important that also, rather than the fashionable approaches in the literature, we need to consider the needs and expectations of the users; digital natives, digital immigrants or digital hybrids and to adopt an evidence-based approach to service policy development.

]]>Nov 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 10

Syd Krochmalny

This article discusses two approaches to performance art, both of which have been declared, historically, in direct opposition with the other. On one side, the performance is a disruptive and interventionist procedure that provokes the participation of the audience spontaneously, and on the other hand it is a constructive and ameliorative collaborative directed at the spectators involving them as preplanned participants. Through a social performance that includes two different political strategies, this paper analyses the possibility of articulate, conceptual and pragmatically antagonism, using collaboration tools from the art tradition, building a methodology for Social Sciences.

]]>Oct 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 10

Phramaha Nantakorn Piyabhani

Although it seems undeniable that most human beings are of either the male or female gender, it is also clear that there are significant numbers of individuals who are of special and somewhat unusual gender. Such individuals have often been referred to as sexual deviants. According to the Buddhist perspective, everyone has the right to be what they want, and everyone has the right to develop their mind in the direction of Enlightenment. Buddhists believe in the principle of cause and its effect, meaning here that whoever does good deeds receives good results, and whoever does bad deeds receives bad results. From the study, it has been found that: 1) There are two sets of factors, external and Kamma-related, which cause sexual deviation. The external factors include family, school, friends, environment, and social media etc. The Kamma-related factors are actions that beings have done during previous existences. Both sets of factors are very significant in this problem 2) There are a number of ways by which sexual deviants and the general population can better live together. These involve: a) social work, b) medicine, c) the law, d) the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and e) Buddhism. The research also suggests that all parties involved in the task of finding better ways for sexual deviants and general people to get along need to act with a high degree of integrity if those in need are to benefit.

]]>Oct 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 10

Esteban Maioli

Institutionalized religious discrimination forms a matrix of meanings from which it is interpreted and re-signified all social practice. This horizon of meaning, almost invisible at the level of the formation and use of common sense, makes religious discrimination in a persistent and complex social phenomenon. The impairment in the enjoyment of certain fundamental freedoms, among which is necessary to place religious freedom, is particularly significant for religious minorities, who are more likely to be subject to discriminatory social practices under their subordination against the existence of a confession or dominant religion. For some religious communities it is easier to be accepted by the social environment, at least in appearance. In the case of Jehovah's Witnesses, although it has legal recognition by the State, it is also true that the mass media convey a distorted view of their purposes and ways of life (Shammah [1]). Moreover, the discrimination of which are subject to Jehovah's Witnesses needs to be analyzed, in political terms, in the broader context of the tension between the forms of linkage between the State and the various minorities are integrated into the social fabric. Thus, the homogenization of the different identities and the formation of a "national" one, in order to concentrate diversity in unity, has been the strategy that the Argentine State has deployed from the moment of its formation, assuming the trend of the French model the laicité (Donatello [2]).

]]>Oct 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 10

Bonnie Oglensky

This paper delineates the intellectual and socio-emotional processes of shifting from face-to-face to on-line teaching at the Online BA Program in Sociology at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. Using a sociological lens, I will explore the concept of "presence" in cyberspace to elucidate the possibilities and limitations for humanizing the sociological classroom without embodiment or the structure of synchronous interaction.

]]>Oct 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 10

Sergiu Musteaţă, Iași

In this paper the author discusses the role of civil society in the preservation of the archaeological heritage in the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of Moldova signed the European Convention on Archaeological Heritage Preservation (revised version) in 1998, ratified it in 2001, and enforced it only since November 2002. But, the national law on archaeological preservation was voted by the Parliament in September 2010 and entered into force in March 2011. So, after a long period of debates and initiatives Republic of Moldova has its own law on this field. The leading role in this process was held by the National Association of Young Historians of Moldova. This NGO initiated in 2009 an advocacy project in the field of cultural heritage preservation. As main goal and result was the elaboration a new law on archaeological heritage preservation, based on international conventions and current trends in the field of archaeological heritage preservation.

]]>Oct 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 10

Enrique Vásquez

During the first decade of the new Millennium, the economic growth of Peru was impressive. According to the official statistics, the monetary index decreased dramatically. However, in 2011 a new government was elected because the gains of the economic boom was not tangible for the poorest and it was necessary a more inclusive approach of the economic and social policy. In this context, the government allocated US$3 mm dollars per year of public budget to social programs focused on children. This paper is an evaluation of the Peruvian government social expenditure focused on children. This issue is studied from two perspectives. On the one hand, the Multidimensional Poverty Index, based on Alkire Foster (2007) methodology has been applied to the LSMS (2010-14) taking into consideration the different age groups of children, ethnic groups and geographical dominium. On the other hand, the social public expenditure focused on the main 6 government programs targeted on children has been analyzed based on data from the Integrated Financial Web System hosted by the Ministry of Economics and Finance. The primary findings of the paper draw the attention that the Peruvian public policy has implemented a regressive approach of the public social expenditure focused on children. Meanwhile many of the new law and policy instruments (2010-14) followed children rights approach, the public management allocated resources not taking into consideration of multidimensional poverty, vulnerability of ethnic groups and level of rurality. Moreover, a comparison of the monetary and multidimensional poverty indexes in Peru (2010-14) focused on children showed critical gaps of size of children population group. This gap might explain the fact that important part of the under-18 year old population was non-visible for the policymakers and economic managers. Thus, the lack of proper measurement of the real level of poverty of children could be misleading the allocation and use of public resources in Peru (2010-14). As a result, social conflicts at sub-national level in Peru could be nurturing.

]]>Oct 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 10

Reuben Embu and Samuel O. Igomu

As an effective medium of communication, playwrights use drama as a viable tool for socio-political commentaries. This paper uses Ahmed Yerima's play, The Angel, to critically x-ray the precarious nature of the political climate in Nigeria vis-à-vis the affirmation of the widely held view that in the enterprise of politics, there are neither permanent friends nor enemies but only permanent interests. Against the backdrop of politics, in broad ramifications, being dubbed a 'dirty game,' the paper explores the various degrees of sordid and heinous acts that politicians unscrupulously indulge in to outwit rivals perceived as, somewhat, formidable encumbrances. These include conspiracy, bribery, betrayal, blackmail, kidnap, and at its most political assassination amongst other forms of political violence which are all indices of threat to Nigeria's democracy and national development. The paper concludes that although politics is a sine qua non to political leadership positions in the country, it does not necessarily have to be a do or die affair or a vicious battleground for wanton bloodshed. This, therefore, can be possible and become a reality if and only when political actors truly embrace politics that is premised on ethics and integrity, and having utmost regard for human life and for the people they want to lead.

]]>Oct 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 10

Mary Mahugu John Agak Eric Kabuka and Ariko Ekitala

Heavy and problematic alcohol use among college students has become a serious public health issue in Kenya. This alcohol consumption among the college student population is associated with numerous negative consequences such as assault, injury, risky sexual behavior, academic problems and property damage among others. This study sought to examine the prevalence of alcohol consumption among students in two public universities. The paper explored the drinking trends among students in the domains of normal use, harmful/hazardous drinking and alcohol dependency. The research design was a survey. The study area was University of Eldoret and Moi University in Uasin Gishu County. Four hundred students responded to the 10 item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Babor, Saunders, Higgins-Biddle and Monteiro,1992) [1] Data was analyzed using SPSS version 12. Descriptive statistics was adopted for frequencies and percentages. T-test was used to analyze gender differences in alcohol use. As this research documents, 30% of the respondents were taking an alcoholic drink at least once a month. Among the students using alcohol, 30% were engaging in hazardous alcohol use, while 49.5% were engaged in harmful alcohol use. A significant number of respondents displayed tendencies towards alcohol dependence (34%). There is need for universities to formulate effective intervention measures to help curb high alcohol consumption among students.

]]>Oct 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 10

Gabriella Punziano

European Integration and Europeanization processes in social field are the focus of the analysis here proposed. Starting from the social implications and from the effects that the different European welfare regimes have on them, it will be shown a possible re-arrangement of the differences within the various regimes, as well as of their relationships and their new characterizations. The aim is highlight the dual thrust between Europeanization and decentralization of social policy in some European countries, which are considered as a guidance of specific welfare regimes, in order to understand at what level of governance the decisions that shape this area can be attributed. However, the analysis involved five Nations (Italy, Germany, France, Spain and United Kingdom) and ten local contexts, two for each Nation (Milan and Naples, Berlin and Munich, Paris and Rouen, Barcelona and Vigo, London and Liverpool). What result is a comparative geographic and policy analysis based on a mixed methods approach intended as a merge of quantitative and qualitative approaches, techniques and tools. The analysis contemplates jointly the study of supranational, national and subnational directions, but also the study of local dynamics concerning the spread of specific: models of implementation, kind of decision-making processes in social policies and type of regimes that this decision generates. The structure of the study is growing both in macro perspective (through multivariate and multi-level analysis of social indicators and subsequent cluster analysis) as well as in the micro perspective (through the analysis of projects in different local contexts and in particular by applying impact, implementation and comparative network analysis). The conclusion was the realization of a general model of interpretation and classification of the changes occurred in the different European welfare regimes.

]]>Oct 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 9

Zhang Qun

The mineral exploration of grassland in Inner Mongolia has become a trend. Its interest distribution and the existing problems are becoming a priority issue to deal with. With qualitative research methods, this paper examines the structure of profit distribution in order to understand the profits that herdsmen may get from the exploration of cooper mine in Huogeqi Sum. The research shows that at present the herdsmen get very little directly benefits by receiving the compensation and donation from exploration companies. However, in the long run, they have to bear the ecological cost and social cost which makes them "overall loss".

]]>Sep 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 9

Rebecca Lucy Whittington

A recruitment advertisement shines a light on what an organization is looking for not only in a new employee, but also in existing staff members. It projects the values, aims and direction of an organization, reflecting ambitions that may not be fully representative of the existing reality. In the turbulent UK local newspaper industry there has been a sea change in methods of collecting, reporting and, from the audience perspective, consuming the news. However, until recently, studies have found traditional reporting skills are prized more highly than online skills by newspaper managers. Working to the hypothesis that this will have changed, with digital media skills being equally, if not more, desired than traditional journalistic skills, this paper assesses the language of recruitment advertisements for local newspaper journalist roles onwww.holdthefrontpage.co.uk from November 2014 to January 2015. Using a set of 'traditional' keywords and a set of 'digital' keywords, the priority of their use and the tone of their delivery will show the corporate ideal being projected. In turn, this will demonstrate the desired state of the individual titles, their mother companies and the industry as a whole.

]]>Sep 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 9

Julian Matthews

This paper discusses a growing 'certainty' on the seriousness of the climate change issue observed in UK elite reporting. It identifies this type of reporting as produced by a process to 'domesticate' the issue in the UK. Important within this domestication process is an elite politicization of climate change where political actors demonstrate forms of token 'cultural leadership' alongside voiced concerns to combat this potentially disruptive issue. Equally significant are UK journalists' efforts to mediate these frequent elite commentaries according to the interests and the practices of elite journalism logic and, in turn, to report them alongside scientific and civil society voices and perspectives on the issue. This paper introduces the frames and voices found in the UK elite reporting and recognises how this coverage contrasts with coverage argued previously to be replete with climate scepticism and/ or elite challenges to climate change. Further, with UK domestication set to intensity, it suggests that we will likely see elite UK journalism confronting a growing controversy over the policy and the actions used to adapt to and mitigate the outcomes of climate change. Not only will political elites seek to hone their claims making to respond to the concerns raised by international political actors then but also to quell growing criticism voiced by interest groups on the home front. Given this developing situation, we may even see elite journalistic voices joining reporting and acting their fourth estate role when calling for further action.

]]>Sep 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 9

Gül Özsan

This paper examines how male shopkeepers (esnaf) construct narratives about women on the basis of the fieldwork conducted in the district of Moda, Istanbul between 2009 and 2013. While drawing attention to shopkeepers' significance in the discursive struggles over women, the essay aims to demonstrate that shopkeepers constitute one of the key social groups to be focused on for understanding narratives about women. I explore which types of narrative shopkeepers prefer to deploy, what references they make, and which ready-made narratives they disrupt. While placing these narratives within the context of everyday interactions between the two groups, this essay attempts to bring a fresh perspective on gender relations in the urban space. I argue that small shops represent a central site for the construction of social bonds between shopkeepers and women as members of a district community. Current forms of public discourse, hegemonic narratives, implied persons, various forms of gender ideologies, and the researcher herself are all deemed significant factors here. Moreover, processes of gender negotiations within everyday practices (including rapport-building activities) constitute the micro-politics of the construction and perpetuation of narratives. Shopkeepers' narratives about women shed light upon their perceptions of their own occupation, their relationships with the district community and various types of gendered subjectivities they form. The essay aims to demonstrate how the micro-politics of the co-production and reproduction of gender narratives functions by highlighting their embeddedness in everyday practices, in which both male shopkeepers and female residents interact and play an active role.

]]>Sep 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 9

Lidija Živčič Tomislav Tkalec and Slavica Robić

Energy poverty poses serious issue in the South- East Europe (SEE). It is estimated that about 30% of households in SEE are struggling with adverse effects of energy poverty. This article presents findings of a research undertaken in four SEE countries, namely Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia, where the project "Reduce Energy Use and Change Habits" (REACH) is implemented. The aim of the project REACH is to contribute to energy poverty abatement at both practical and structural level. Activities undertook within project REACH focus on rationalising the use of energy and water in energy poor households. Households have been provided with tailor-made energy advices, empowering them to change their energy and water use habits. Students and teachers from vocational schools have been educated as energy advisors, enabling them to perform visits to the selected households and implement energy efficiency measures. By implementing activities under the project REACH it has proven to be likely that through provision of energy advising and implementation of simple energy efficiency measures, households' energy consumption can be reduced up to 10% and water consumption up to 18%. Results are also indicating that policies focusing on energy efficiency measures are likely to be the best mechanism for alleviating energy poverty. This is especially the case when energy and social policies are harmonised with the aim of alleviating adverse effects of energy poverty.

]]>Sep 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 9

Long Fei

This paper discusses the practice in "Community Service Management by Project in Qingyan Street, Daxing District, Beijing". It points out that: with the unique advantages of being professional, efficient and integrity, NGOs can play a part in the grassroots social governance in China that the government and market cannot play. It discusses the role of an NGO (Community Participation Service Center) plays in "Community Service Management by Project", that is: ideas updating, ability building and resource coordinating.

]]>Sep 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Henry Veltmeyer

This paper reviews and discusses the current dynamics of capitalist development in Latin America, with reference to the role of the state, in the form of the post neoliberal regimes formed in the latest 'progressive cycle' of Latin American politics, and the popular resistance to the operations of extractive capital. The context for this discussion is the form taken by extractive capitalism in the region, namely, 'inclusionary state activism', i.e. neo-developmentalism combined with (neo)extractivism and the (re)primarization of exports.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Clementine Fujimura and Clara Navarro

This research addresses significant cultural changes in terms of gender relations that are occurring in the United States military today and in particular at the academy level. This article focuses on the LGBT community at the United States Naval Academy and posits that, in order to fully understand and support the success of LGBT midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy, it is important to understand the diversity of the LGBT community in general from a grassroots perspective. Depending on self-identification and the process in self-identification of individual midshipmen, for example, experiences vary greatly. This paper seeks to analyze the experiences of those individuals identifying as LGBT at USNA based on an ethnographic study involving the collection of coming-out stories by and interviews with midshipmen as well as participant-observation research in the community. It is the researcher's initial conclusion that a support network for LGBT midshipmen is essential when it comes to their development as young adults, as officers and as potential leaders in the military.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Dan Lin

Recent theories and practices have demonstrated the evolving approaches to ecological conservation reflecting not merely a transition in ecological technology, but more a question of social power, in particular the power of the state and its capabilities in balancing other forces and demands from society. A framework that is based on the strategic-relational approaches is able to capture the multidimensionality of the relations between nature and society increasingly mediated by the state. The evolving approaches to ecological designation in China provide a paradigmatic example of how the scope of ecological conservation is being shaped by particular political, economic and social context in China. The empirical results based on qualitative research methods show that, the designation of ecological conservation areas in China is part of broader strategies to reorder state space serving socio-political as well as ecological ends. What matters is the political structuration of choices about ecological conservation, i.e. the ‘strategic and selectivity' of the state.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Miroslav Scheinost

The article reflects the perception of corruption during the last several years. Within this period corruption has become the focus of the media attention and it has even become one of the important words of the vocabularies of politicians. Czech general public has been quite skeptical in terms of the state of the corruption of our society and believes that the incidence of corruption is significant. It is of course necessary to differentiate the feelings and fears of public from the limited factual knowledge on its phenomenon itself. Because of the lack of hard data on corruption the exploration is therefore based on the secondary analysis of findings from surveys on public opinion carried out in the Czech Republic and on the analysis of Czech governmental strategic documents concerning this phenomenon. Author takes into account mostly the views on corruption in public sector. It tries to answer the question whether the situation can be characterized as "common" corruptive behavior on the everyday level, as "corruptive climate" or even as systemic corruption steering for the so-called "state capture". It tries also to formulate the main differences of the extent and character of corruption under socialist period and at present.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Máté Kavecsánszki

The objective of this research project is to present a significant time period in the system of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century. My intention has been to focus on the effects of the rule of the Hohenstaufen dynasty on Hungarian foreign policy. I have examined this issue as embedded in a broad international system of relations, including Hungarian-Polish, Hungarian-Czech, German-Polish, German-Czech, and German-Hungarian connections. I have also investigated the Hungarian foreign policy relevance of the conflict between the Hohenstaufen and Welf dynasties. My purpose through this is to call the attention of experts in this field of study to the less often highlighted peculiarities of medieval diplomatic and geopolitical thinking. Beside a chronological presentation of the events in the diplomatic system of contacts, I regularly refer to the differences between Hungarian and German historiography, as regards the interpretations of the sources quoted. Through utilizing the most recent and not so recent findings in Hungarian and German historical research, the reinterpretation of the sources might be used for the proper handling of these anomalies, for finding a consensus between the oftentimes entirely contradictory viewpoints in historical scholarship and, consequently, for providing a more precise description of the events occurring in the diplomacy of the given historical time period.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Peng Wang and Jianbo Zhang

University innovation input and industry-university cooperation can affect the innovation output of enterprises to some extent, but the existing research has seldom put the two factors into the same framework. Based on the economic statistics of thirteen provinces and cities in China from 2001 to 2010, this paper studied the impacts of university innovation input and industry-university cooperation on the innovation output of large and medium-sized industrial enterprises. The empirical results show that university innovation input and industry-university cooperation can positively affect the patent output of enterprises, and industry-university cooperation can improve the marginal contribution of enterprises' innovation capital input to the patent output. While the results of regions classified by innovation capacity show that university innovation input can promote the two kinds of innovation output of enterprises in the region with the first level innovative capacity. The industry-university cooperation, as the independent and adjustable variable respectively, can also improve the two kinds of innovation output remarkably in the region with the first level innovative capacity. While in the region with the second level innovative capacity, the positive effects are mainly embodied on the patent output.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Urszula Lisowska

The aim of the paper is to show the relevance of Martha Nussbaum's capabilities approach to the two types of the crisis in pluralist thinking which we are currently facing. The paper adopts the perspective of political aesthetics, in that it analyzes the political significance of the aesthetic motifs in Nussbaum's project. The conclusion is that Nussbaum's conception allows us to appreciate the central importance of education based on arts and humanities. It is argued that only with such background can the respect for pluralism be permanently secured.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Ercüment Yildirim

This paper is not written for political reasons. This study presents the perceptions about how the communities lived in the Middle East, which has been the center for religious, economic and political conflicts throughout history and how it has been ruled since the ancient times and how they can be ruled today. The aim of the study is to reveal the origins of the lifestyle of Middle Eastern people whom have only been gathered together under the hegemony of a leader. The Sumerian community, who has organized city kingdoms, formed the first legal state structure that puts the governor to the center and accordingly was the earliest monarchic kingdom system in history. By the invention of writing and the development of transportation, multinational states like the Akkadian Dynasty which ruled over large areas, has rapidly prospered. All the states which have been established in the Middle East following the Akkadian Dynasty were ruled by the monarchy system. The leaders, who hold the political and military power in the Middle East, had un-reachable place upon the people's minds. When compared with communities living in the other regions of the world, people of the Middle East are closer to the decentralizing thought system. This study, tries to give answers within the limits of the article, to such questions as "Who is a leader for the Middle Eastern people?", "What are the characteristics of a leader for the Middle Eastern people?" and "Can a leader be democratic?"

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

George Tarkhan Mouravi

The paper focuses on the means and forms of external influence on political regimes and state policies, mainly considering the case of the former Soviet republics of the South Caucasus, with special focus on Georgia. This topic is particularly interesting due to the specific vulnerabilities of the region with regards to such multiple factors of external influence as: complex geopolitical environment - due to the location at the crossroads and peripheries of important geopolitical regions; totalitarian legacy as reflected in the weakness of institutions and the post-totalitarian political culture; ethno-territorial conflicts; undeveloped and imbalanced economy. The case of these republics is important, also, as an interesting example presenting a multitude of rather diverse forms of external influence, and secondly, because of the potential to have an impact on political events at much greater scale.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Liwhu Betiang

The Media Convergence Age has witnessed some 'techno-apartheid' or digital divide, mass movements of people, ideas and material culture across geographical borders; all propelled by media technology. Consequently there's 'cultural-browning' among nationalities but specifically in the Nigerian case, deep implications for whatever remains of an 'authentic' national cultural identity. Drawing from literature and empirical observation over the past fifty years within two generations of Nigerians, this study shows how globalization interpenetrates a nation-space; and how it is altering/changing the face of Nigerian nationals, through such globalizing weapons like electronic/media technologies, infotainment programming, televangelism, consumerism, as well as corporate merchandising of material culture. This study becomes significant when seen against the background of Nigerian core cultural values which are being gradually re-negotiated in favour of what may be considered as dominant Euro-American values. This phenomenon portends deep-running implications for a nation state whose peoples are primarily ethnic-bound and fundamentally assertive; caught within an absence of a functional, proactive national audio-visual policy.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Ernest O. Anyacho and Eunice I. Anyacho

The traditional religion of the Igbo of Nigeria stratified the society into two major groups namely the Diala and the Osu. The former enjoys every right and privilege in the community while the latter has limited acceptance. There are also other areas of social inequality which the paper addresses as social stigmatization that make the so-called Osu second class citizens in Igbo land. All these are based on Igbo traditional religious beliefs and/or superstitions. The continued existence of these stigmatizations in the twenty-first century and in the land where Christianity has stayed for more than a century is a major of the study. The paper, therefore, investigates into different dimensions of the discrimination and inequality against the Osu even after they have been converted to Christianity. It further looks at the reason why these have remained unconquered grounds when writers claim that Christianity conquered Igbo land many decades ago. The paper presents an ecumenical model that could be explored in handling the delicate issues so that conflicts could be avoided while trying to make the Osu assert their full fundamental rights in Igbo land.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 8

Ghulam Safdar Ghulam Shabir and Abdul Wajid Khan

Democracy is government of people. In democratic states people choose their leaders to make government to lead the country and political parties connect with the people with the help of mass media. The present study conducted in southern Punjab Pakistan to know about the relationship of media and political parties in the term of strengthening democracy. The study conducted under the light of "Agenda Setting Theory". Survey methodology was used to collect the data from the target public. The results showed that media and political parties have strong relation to promote democracy. Moreover, media and political parties monitor each other so that no one could cross its limit according to responsibilities.

]]>Aug 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Sugiaryo Pujiyono and Hartiwiningsih

Act No. 13 Year 2012 on Previleges of Yogyakarta as a Special Region provides a constitutional basis in establishing that the Governor was enthroned as Sultan and to the Vice Governor as Adipati Paku Alam. However, in the case of succession of the Governor of Yogyakarta, there is an exception because it is basically a privileges of DIY that has been existing since Indonesia had not gotten its independent yet and it is also guaranteed by the constitution. The direct appointment of Sultan and Paku Alam is intended to award to the diversity of customs and cultures among the people of different regions. From the results of research and study shows that filling positions of Governor and Vice Governor of Yogyakarta through appointment mechanism is accordance with the principles of a democratic constitutional state.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Arianna Montanari

The paper will investigate if the building of a European identity is already underway, noting that identity-building processes rest on a common set of processes, issuing in: symbol systems; collective rituals, ceremonies, public holidays, etc.; behavioural codes of conduct and values inspired by mythical societies of forefathers (as inspired by historical accounts), providing a template for a future society. European Union is merely an expanded economic bloc built on entrenched autonomies, or is a new collective identity emerging? With reference to common symbols, Europe boasts all the apparel of identity, namely it has a flag, anthem, motto and currency. At the same time there are signs indicating a strengthening of the common identity. As of 1985 Europe has also celebrated the May 9 anniversary, and other types of European events are starting to take hold from the bottom up. White Night art festivals, or Museum Nights for example. The latter events seek to establish a common identity by leveraging Europe's culture and heritage, its monuments and museums, and by seeking to inform the broader public of Europe's track record in the areas of arts, humanities and science. As previously noted, national identities draw on a historical past, on former models for society and on behavioural models underlying the latter. A research into leading European personalities both historical and contemporary, carried out in some European countries offers similar answers and image of ideal European society.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Wiktor Glowacki

This article examines the role of Polish unions of municipalities after the reform of territorial self-government in 1999. Before the reform, unions of municipalities used to substitute missing regional level of self-government. After the reform they were likely to disappear because regional and district levels of self-government were introduced. Contrary to these expectations this article suggests that unions of municipalities in Poland still play important role in dealing with some environmental problems.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Sylvie Paré

This research focuses on the impact of the implementation of a by-law in a residential area, Montreal's garden city, la Cité-Jardin du Tricentenaire. The City of Montreal has implemented a set of specific architectural and environmental rules (PIIA, a Plan for Architectural Integration and Establishment) in order to protect and preserve the unique character of this Garden City built during the 1940's. In the general plan, Montreal designated the area as an exceptional site for preservation, a natural urban area and an authentic neighbourhood inspired by Ebenezer Howard's Garden City. In spite of the requirements of the PIIA for la Cité-Jardin, the recommendations of the Heritage Council of Montreal and the pressure exerted by the Residents' Association, a neutral observer might well conclude that not enough has been done to preserve the unique character of this neighborhood nor to prevent major transformations. The signs of decline in the quality of this heritage neighborhood have continued unabated during the 2010's: (1) significant enlargement of original houses, (2) demolition of heritage houses and reconstruction with only minimal, superficial similarities and (3) destruction of mature trees and replacement with suburban-style landscaping. While similar in some respects to the process of gentrification, the demographic changes underway in the Cité-Jardin are being produced by newcomers of a similar social class to the original residents but with a distinctly lower sensitivity to heritage architecture and community norms. Our research project aims to understand the effect of the PIIA as a potential catalyst for resilience in a case study, the Cité-Jardin du Tricentenaire community. Given the decentralized structure of the City of Montreal, bylaws governing the community are the responsibility of the Borough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie. This paper focuses principally on documentary analysis and interviews with borough officials designed to substantiate the theoretical structure underlying our approach.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Anna L. Prehoda

In this paper I would like to point out the typical stages of recovery from trauma after an industrial disaster. My research results are based on a comparative analysis between two interviewing period (first in 2010 and second in 2013). The interviews have been taken with affected people after the most wrecker industrial disaster ever in Hungary, named as "red sludge disaster". The uniqueness of my research is that I recorded my first interviews very shortly (within one and a half month) after the traumatic event with life story method, thus I had chance to complete my research with a participant observation as well. After the second period of interview making in 2013, my goal was to reveal what is the trauma-coping by affected people like, within a longer time after the case. I give a conceptual clarification of the notion of trauma. This notion is inseparable from the process of memory work. Hence I give a brief explanation also of this notion. I would like to underline the importance of Hungarian specialized literature of this two research areas in the last few decades. After analysing my data I have found three main stadiums in the coping process, what I name as 1.) phase of connecting, 2.) phase of cleaning and 3.) phase of various practices. My conclusion is, that the truly effective trauma-coping needs to use not only behavioural methods but mental interpretations as well.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Hale Balseven

The 2007/2008 global crisis has put into agenda a basic debate in the field of public finance in what concerns state intervention. The crisis shows the narrowness and inadequacy of current mainstream and neoclassical approaches related to subjects such as the specific forms of state intervention during the crisis as well as its origins and causes. None of these approaches perceive state intervention as an economic and social reality of the discipline of public finance. Although they provide some insightful discussions on the financial crisis, they remain essentially descriptive. New developments after the global crisis revealed spectacular alternative views by reinterpreting the forms of state intervention in economic theory as well as its applications in specific countries. In these views the state and its policies are determined and transformed socially, politically and historically. In this respect, we need to know more about the dynamics of the capitalist system, its economic institutions and the patterns of production relations in every conjuncture of economic history as well as the functioning of financial systems. This paper argues that the field of public finance is socially determined as any other scientific practice. Following the recent discussions in theory and its applications, this paper treats state intervention as both a "symptom" and a "cause" of critical changes in economy and society.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Jiang Chang and Hailong Ren

From a critical discourse analysis of all gay-related news reports in five mainstream Beijing newspapers in the six years between 2010 and 2015, this paper distills four dominant aspects of the image of gays and lesbians represented by the news media through discursive and rhetorical strategies: gays as crime victims because of their inherent weakness, gays as violent subjects, gays as enemies to traditional values, and gays as a source of social instability. This means that despite its legal and official recognition in China, homosexuality is still tainted with sin and perversion in the mainstream public discourse. The way in which the Chinese news media and journalists constructs the image of the homosexual person notably differs from that in the West. Newspapers treat gay men and lesbians separately, with the former deemed socially destabilizing elements of violence and promiscuity and the latter seen as closer to 'normal' heterosexuals in the way they think and act. In addition, Chinese news reports almost completely silence gay people who are rarely interviewed, and the few who are see only their expressions of shame or regret published. This article also discusses and interprets such discursive strategies within the specific sociocultural context of Chines society.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

David M. Brasington

We identify commonly-available instrumental variables for housing hedonics for proficiency tests, school spending, and property taxes. We estimate the hedonic simultaneously with the reasons a person bought his house. We find larger housing value elasticities than previous studies: 0.47 for test scores, 1.07 for expenditures per pupil, and -0.37 for property taxes. We suggest schooling expenditures acts as a signaling mechanism. We find that people who use private schools and think their private school is excellent pay an additional 10% house price premium; this finding, along with capitalization of private school test scores, supports the theory of the marginal consumer.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Rosana Herrero Martín

The purpose of this conversation is to investigate the symbiotic framework governing art and the socionatural community where it grows and develops. Our case study will feature the unique binomial that we find in Cuba between a community arts institution (KORIMAKAO) and the unique ecosystemic, social and historical environment that propels life and meaning to the project since 1992 (the municipality of Cienaga de Zapata, about 180 kilometers south of Havana). Korimakao, with its twenty-four years of experience bringing art and aesthetic sensibility to the remotest population pockets of Cuba, aims to become pioneer Centre of Caribbean and Latin American Communitarian Art. In the language of the first Siboney nomadic inhabitants of the Zapata Swamp, 'Kori' means man and 'Macao' the arthropod that takes refuge in the shells of certain mollusks. There we go, Korimakao, a semisedentary living organism, fusion performing arts school (theater, dance, music) consisting of over 80 young artists, who every summer during the months of July and August, and not unlike Lorca’s legendary La Barraca travelling theatre, take their backpacks and their idiosyncratic stagings on a tour across the eighteen communities that make up the Zapata Swamp, delving into the identitarian and ecological roots of their beholders.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Pietro Paolo Guzzo and Paolo Ugolini

This qualitative, pilot and exploratory study1 is part of an ongoing research project conducted by Società Italiana di Sociologia della Salute, (Italian Society of Health Sociology, hereinafter SISS)2 including academic and professional Italian health sociologists. The Literature on interprofessionalism/managerialism and the various roles of these health professions as "boundary spanners", gate-keepers and mediators, is still lacking in relation to the Italian Healthcare System (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, hereinafter SSN) and its prolonged poli-crisis, from the point of view of Italian Health Sociologists employed within the SSN. In particular, in Italian Literature, empirical study does not exist on the representations and perceptions of interprofessionalism within this field. The aim of this qualitative essay is to present a counterpoint in the form of an explorative pilot study focused on a group of 17 Italian Professional Health Sociologists working in Mental Health and Addiction departments in the SSN. Here we consider the Professional Italian SSN Sociologist as an agent of change in the SSN transformation plan, and as a vehicle for interprofessionality.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Judy Mugo and Donald O. Wandere

Women's groups have been an integral part of the development of Africa since independence. Various groups and associations have existed with their structure, mission, and composition being determined by their respective community's background and socio-economic status. The groups have been critical in improving the welfare of members' families and the communities at large. This paper is based on a study whose broad objective was to investigate the structure, functions and challenges of Kamweretho - an emergent, non-formal women's group found among the Agikuyu of Kenya. From a broad perspective, it sought to examine the thesis that women groups are an avenue for improving the welfare of group members and their families. From a diachronic perspective, the paper examines comprehensive secondary study of the historical development of the women's movement in Kenya in general and among the Agikuyu in particular. It then narrows focus to the Kamweretho women groups in Nyeri County, whose findings are discussed. The social capital theory was used in the study. On method, convenient sampling was used to select the four Kamweretho groups that participated in FGDs, in depth interviews, and observation. A sample of respondents was drawn using purposive and simple random sampling. The study found that formation of Kamweretho groups was inspired by the desire to pay homage, and cater for the welfare of parents and guardians of group members. Findings show that Kamweretho groups' operations and activities do not fit the conventional mechanisms associated with women groups. More so, they seem to question the authority of the traditional definition of a woman's role and position in the Agikuyu society. As a result, the Kamwerethos are not wholly embraced by the Gikuyu populace, and are a target of sustained mockery and criticism from across the gender and class divide.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Michelle Dragoo

This paper describes "Parque de la Paz" located in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, a memorial space commemorating the community uprising that ousted military occupation from the city. The paper focuses on current community perceptions concerning the events' significance in history, and the parks use as a commemoration site. I will discuss the discrepancy in historical accounts, generational differences, and the marginalization of importance of the event within the community. An overview of transitional justice will be given in an effort to provide context. Current theories of transitional justice are reviewed as they apply to memorialization efforts in Atitlán Guatemala following the 30-year civil war that ended in 1997.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Dagmara Beitnere-Le Galla

We live in the present, but the past, history and memory accompany us both visibly and invisibly. As stated by Paul Ricoeur, our past 'I' (as opposed to our present 'I', which, due to its experience, is different from our past 'I') is different from but still the same 'I' (the one that has retained its identity over time). Our identity is created not only by the experience of ourselves, our family and our relatives: we are also influenced by the big historical narratives. More and less recent history - even the big, over-arching events of history - influences each one of us, whether directly or indirectly. The paper focuses on two memory groups that "meet" in the Latvian capital, Riga, every year on March 16th and May 9th. These groups represent two collective memories, each of which reflects different views of history and politics, and each corresponds to specific social needs. After the restoration of Latvian independence, and especially in the past decade, the political significance of these two dates has increased. Both dates commemorate events associated with the Second World War - on March 16th Latvians commemorate the soldiers who fought in the Latvian Legion, while the Russian community celebrates Victory Day on May 9th according to the Russian tradition. Every year, these two events remind us that "the war has ended, but the memory war still continues", that the past is not really past and its influence on the present still sometimes creates unexpected "obstructions". The paper analyses such elements of group memory as territory, language and traditions in an attempt to find answers regarding different symbolic values by analysing the life stories of two participants in the Second World War and trying to create a hypothetical dialogue between them.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Bülent Gülçubuk

The Republic of Turkey Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock has been organising a competition, whose title is "Women Farmers Contest" and which aims to promote social status of women who live in rural areas and are engaged in farming, to provide efficient knowledge, in Turkey since 2004. The aim of the competition is to evaluate the knowledge and performance of women farmers, to assess the outcomes of training-publications for these women, to raise self-confidence of these women, to raise consciousness of healthy nutrition and producing high quality crop, and to offer and increase entrepreneurship. The Competition awards prizes, which are cash money, loan support, tractor and other equipment supports, livestock and agricultural insurance to women, invite them at city, regional and national levels competition. The competition takes places among women farmers based in the rural areas of 81 cities in Turkey. Those who participates in in the final phase of the city, region and Turkey Competition answer various questions such as plant production, animal breeding, agricultural mechanisation, nutrition, child development, agricultural enterprise, agricultural organisation, family ownership management, and handcrafts. "Women Farmers Contest", which is a knowledge-based competition and has been organised among women based in rural areas since 2004, generates huge excitement and creates competition environment among women and families.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Sanni T. Adebayo

This article examines the value chain analysis as a catalyst in gender mainstreaming. Gender activities in the global world have revealed that, one sex has been marginalized by the other. From time immemorial, gender roles and activities differ, some base on physical ability and so on. This aimed at transforming mainstream policies by introducing a value chain analysis in a gender equality perspective. However, it has been largely used as an alibi for neutralizing the negative action in gender mainstreaming. The policy of gender mainstreaming incorporating gender sensitive aspects into external and internal policies and practices has been widely adopted throughout the international development community since the world conference on women in Beijing in 1995. Women are statistically the global majority; women cannot be treated as "a special case" but their needs and interests must be protected as integral part of any development policy as those of men. The paper gives an insight of the importance of a value chain analysis in gender mainstreaming.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 7

Sanjeev Uprety

This study has made an attempt to study the nexus between patriarchy and violence against women by discussing three interrelated aspects of patriarchy in Nepal: social norms, social structure and law. Research findings show how these three aspects—or the three heads of the hydra, to put it metaphorically--shape and reinforce each other rather than functioning as separate domains. In other words, social norms concerning what it means to be a man or woman not only reinforce greater presence of men in leadership positions in various public institutions—including police, courts and media that are deeply involved in the law and justice mechanism concerning violence against women--but also impact the implementation of law while it comes to cases of VAW. In the same way, current law implementing mechanisms in Nepal reinforce older social norms concerning masculinities and femininities. Due to such an interconnectedness of these three domains—norms, structure and law, it is necessary to deal with them together in order to fight against VAW. This is to say that the three headed hydra of patriarchy can be defeated only if efforts are made to cut all three of its heads simultaneously.

]]>Jul 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 6

Sarimah Ismail and Hamedi Mohd Adnan

Sports and society have a close relationship because they have elements of popular entertainment and leisure. Media is capable of translating popular sports information through the content of sports section or sports pages. Most of newspapers in Malaysia have its own sport sections. Newspaper industry views sport pages as a strategy and value added in the newspaper setting for improving readership and circulation of their publications. Thus, the study shows the practice of sports journalism is very important to give strength to the newspaper sports section in Malaysia. This study focuses on sports journalism of the Malay language newspaper in Malaysia with a focus on the profile of the sports section, the perception of sports editor toward sports section and, sports journalism practices, as well as factor and the importance of the publication of the newspaper sports section. Content analysis method was used to study the newspaper sports section from the two leading media organizations, namely Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian. The media economic theory was used as the framework of study. The results show the prevailing imbalance of information published in the newspaper sports column. The news of international sports and overseas athletes are given more space than local sports news in the Malaysian newspaper sports section. Advertisements are also found to have considerable influence on the newspaper sports section. The element of contiguity or proximity (events that occur close to the reader) is not a priority element in sports news. The study also found that in order to ensure the survival of newspapers through newspaper advertising revenues, the media would give priority to advertising space. The results reveal that sports section need to sacrifice space to advertisements, and this creates constraints on the sports news and information for publication. Qualitative findings showed that sports editors and journalists in Malaysia do not have an ethical sports journalism guidelines or codes of practice as being practiced in the West. Thus, the daily practice of ethics and practice are based on their own judgments and their professionalism as a media reporter. The study found that all newspaper editors believed that a sports section is a must in a newspaper due to its attraction and followers, which is capable of generating advertising revenue and increasing newspaper circulation. This study also shows that placement of news and articles of sport in the sport sections are based on the media economic fundamentals which focus on newspaper market and advertising revenue. Newspapers sport section has also succumbed to the modern theory of journalism as a result of the competition of the sports information through the advent of the new media.

]]>Jun 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 6

A. Pradeepa Udayangani de Silva and P. Sandhamali Chandrawamsa

This study investigates that information needs and information seeking behavior of students at higher educational institutes: with special reference to CINEC Maritime campus. Based on three objectives, the research was conducted. The main objective of this research is to identify the information needs of students in one of the leading higher educational institute in Sri Lanka. Other objectives are to study the information seeking behavior of students in various aspects, such as subjective needs, research needs other information needs and to study the user satisfaction and ICT application for seeking information. The key findings of the study indicate that 50% of students gather information for preparing their lecture notes. Not only that they collect information for updating their knowledge and having for discussions. CINEC Maritime campus library is the most frequently used place of the best access for information gathering by the students. 80% students expect their information in English medium. Using Information Technology (IT) is improved through students when they retrieve information for their information needs.

The analyzed self-awareness family initiative is an innovative approach to social transformation. The study was guided by the following objectives that aimed at investigating the psychosocial family transformation approaches, analyzing the initiatives of social transformation and formulating an effective culturally sensitive practice for promoting psychosocial transformation. The study sample size was 217 guided by Documentaries and History Records, Questionnaires and Interviews (In-Depth Key Informant Interviews Semi Structured) guided by the Assessment of Cultural Awareness scale. Findings based on objectives revealed in table 3., 26.27%; in table 5. n=112 (51.6%) and in table 6. n=100 (46.1%) as the highest scores respectively. The study concluded that that every aspect of the family needs to be harmonized with each other within a socially transformative system. The research recommended that therapists and social workers should practice SAFI model as a spring board for understanding and addressing clients' cultural issues.

]]>Jun 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 6

Johnson Lineo Rose

Lesotho is a country completely surrounded by South Africa. Since independence in 1966 the country attracted a lot of foreign aid interventions in most of its development programmes, including those channelled to civil society organisations. This research is a case study of one indigenous community-based organisation (CBO) in the northern part of the country. The aftermath of the massive Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) also created collaboration and partnerships with international donor organisations. This study investigated the impact of foreign aid interventions and donations to the country and the partnerships created with civil society organisations in Lesotho. The qualitative design through a case study approach to research identified an indigenous CBO, in the northern part of Lesotho within the vicinity of the LHWP to investigate foreign aid funding models and partnerships with civil society organisations. This is a study conducted over an extended period and its accounts give a series of interviews, focus group interviews, transect walks to some community development projects areas. The study used a qualitative inquiry where the Boseele CBO was used as a case study revealing its history with partnerships over 10 years of its existence. The results were analysed thematically, chronologically and narratively and the CBO's successes with Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funding reflected positive foreign aid contribution towards the work of civil society organisations and that of community development. However, setbacks and lack of continuity with some projects questioned some of the funding models of some foreign agencies. Foreign aid partnerships and success with Civil Society Organisations and in community development should not be a marriage of convenience, but culminate in a spirit of collaboration, human capital development and benefits of civil society and community ownership. While the study cannot make claims to provide solutions to the funding models and challenges in each, the purpose of this study was achieved because it identified and obstacles that civil society organisations face, while they strive to advance their social mandate of serving their communities with meagre resources at their disposal.

]]>Jun 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 6

Salomón Nahmad

Accessing anthropological knowledge is considered as a social issue. The twenty-first century is an opportune moment to critically review the history of applied social anthropology in Mexico in the context of Latin American histories and societies. From its origins in the state, through radical critiques, and, most importantly, the entry of indigenous peoples as protagonists and producers of anthropological knowledge in the context of their political demands, anthropology is now faced with an opportunity to reformulate itself as an agent of change in order to build the anthropology of the twenty first century.

]]>Jun 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 6

Barbara Ghiringhelli

From an anthropological perspective, this research aims to shed light on the relationship between the human and the horse, but specifically on the relationship between an owner (first time horse owner) and his/her horse. It will also delve into how that relationship is affected by cultural aspects with respect to origin as well as the level of competency held by the owner/rider. What specific intercourses can exist to create a better bond between human and horse? What the ideas of our informants about horses' individuality and horses' mental capacities? And about what kind of relationships that are possible between human and horse? My research is conceived as an ethnographic study presenting an analysis of narrative data collected in twenty-five open-ended interviews with horse people (all owners/riders) who participate in different equestrian sports in two specific provinces of Italy – Umbria and Lombardia. What has emerged is the underestimation of the importance of the physical and mental characteristics of the horse at the beginning of the relationship. Elements that emerge as important factors can influence the positivity or negativity of the relationship. A greater consciousness of the subjectivity of the horse is needed in horse-buying process to better interact and develop a positive relationship with horses. Over time, owners/riders acquired a sense that horses are partners, subjects with minds and agency of their own.

]]>Jun 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 6

Noorie Safa

Existing binary of boys vs. girls, men vs. women, creates a boundary which restricts us to think out of box. Consequently, within a box when we fix socially constructed men women image, intentionally we miss out diversity aspects. Nevertheless, putting intersectional lens when gender theme is explored in broader spectrum, that sprout out concerns of marginalized groups be it related to their gender identity or to sexual orientation. It is needless to say concern of hijra population is a serious issue because of prevailing silo in society with regards to their rights. Emphasizing on reciprocal relationship between gender and power, this study endeavored to identify need based concerns of hijra population those are likely to integrate them in mainstream development. To identify needed initiatives for hijra people, besides mapping out existing Government and NGO initiatives, attention was also given on capturing real life scenario of this excluded pool of population. This qualitative study focused on both primary and secondary sources. Following purposive sampling, beside life history method, 10 in-depth interviews and three FGDs were employed. Analyzing existing gaps and needs of this particular group the study concluded that to include this excluded hijra population in mainstream society, mere concentration of sexual health or state sponsored stipend provision would not add any value unless and until initiatives are taken on the ground of hijra people's human right concern. By pointing out needed initiatives, the paper ended up with the suggestion of strengthening strong coordination between Government and NGOs to leverage the potentials of this marginalized hijra population.

]]>Jun 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 6

Chesire Faith Wafula Ouma Charles Oyugi Henry and Ochieng Beverly

Perceived client satisfaction is considered an outcome of health care utilization. Many interventions have been put in place to improve client satisfaction of maternity delivery services. Community participation through community health strategy is one such intervention rolled out in Kenya in 2006. This study examined the effect of community health strategy policy on perception of client satisfaction of maternity delivery services in Kakamega County, Kenya. This was an analytical comparative study design utilizing quantitative data derived from a cross sectional survey among women of under five years old children. Data was collected from four purposively selected administrative units also referred to as sub location. Two sub locations were selected from Butere Sub County where community health strategy policy is implemented while two control sub locations from the neighbouring Khwisero sub county that had not launched community health strategy in the two sub locations. Both Sub Counties are from Kakamega County. Data processing and analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and Microsoft Excel. Chi square test was used at p-value of < 0.05 considered for statistically significance difference. And odds ratio used to assess strength of associations. The findings showed that a high proportion (83.9%) of women in community health strategy implementing sites were more likely to be satisfied with the quality of maternity delivery services compared to their counterparts in the non-implementing sites (52.4%). Irrespective of age, education level, group belonging and main household income source, the differences in perceived client satisfaction remained statistically significant between implementing and non-implementing sites while the within site comparison showed no significant in difference due to women characteristics at p value < 0.05. This study showed that women in the strategy implementing sub locations were satisfied with maternity delivery services while their counterparts of non-implementing sub locations showed poor client satisfaction perception for the service. Results of this study imply that community strategy policy has potential to improve the perception on client satisfaction for maternity delivery services and for maternity delivery users. In view if this, the scale up of the strategy will go a long way in improve hospital based deliveries and therefore a strategy to reduce maternal mortality.

]]>Jun 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 6

Odishika Vivian Anietem and Adedeji Liadi Abiodun

Poverty alleviation programmes have been aggressively pursued by governments in developing world, with a lot of focus on government led approaches and initiatives - which in most cases have left much to be desired. The major thrust of this study is to analyze a number of selected rural development (community driven) projects. The paper uses literature collected from secondary source to analyze selected projects. The study shows that Community driven projects are indeed effective in improving the lives of the poor in rural areas by increasing their productive assets, income level and general welfare. This study recommends that for it to achieved desired results, community driven development approaches to rural poverty alleviation should be carefully planned and monitored.

]]>Jun 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

James B. Greenberg

This article examines the guitar trade (i.e. making, collecting and dealing) to examine the political ecology of the guitar from forests to construction: delving both into its environmental impacts and attempts to protect endangered species, it focuses on the impact of two pieces of legislation have on guitar making, the international guitar trade, and guitar ownership: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); and the Lacey Act Amendments of 2008. In so doing, it examines the underlying problems (deforestation, endangered species, illicit trade in wood, and unfair trade advantages) that these pieces of legislation were meant to address; and the politicization of these efforts that has the US Congress deadlocked. This account also analyzes the practical difficulties that legal compliance presents, and finally examines what alternatives may exist.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Hilda Kalekyezi Nankunda and Nigel Thomas

This article discusses implementation of the UNCRC 1989, by African Countries. It explores ways of using Independent Human Rights Institutions for Children (IHRIC) in Africa, to increase awareness of children's rights among children so that they (children) can participate and even lead in realizing their own rights. It is based on a qualitative design in two phases. Phase 1 was a documentary review of periodic reports from 25 African signatory states. Content analysis revealed that IHRICs by African Countries are not independent according to the recommendations of the General Comment No. 2 2002 which reverberates with the Paris Principles 1993. Phase 2 Field work was conducted in two districts and two communities in Uganda. Action Research approaches were employed to 72 participants including 21 children aged 10-15 years. Focus Group Discussions were conducted with children, Dialogue Meetings for the community facilitated by children and Key Informant Interviews. It was found that children can articulate their rights and contribute to decisions that affect them. This article suggests that States Parties in Africa should support implementation of UNCRC by availing funds to the HRIC to fulfill their functions. Emphasis should be on raising awareness about children's rights and involving children in decisions making, planning and policy development activities.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Golam M. Mathbor

Bangladesh is a country which is geographically prone to disaster. It is exposed to some common disasters (cyclone, flood, tornado, and drought are among them) in every year that have resulted in heavy damages in economic, social, and human life. The main causes behind these damages are high vulnerability of people (unaware), housing (dilapidated), location (coastal area), and infrastructure (lack of dam, embankment, and shelter house). Hazards are increasing day by day due to climate change. Using burning fossil fuel and other unsafe energy at a record amount, we are contributing to climate change. No short term initiative can be taken as a tool of disaster management. There should be a comprehensive approach before, during and in the post disaster period comprising disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Allely, C. S. and Cooke, D. J.

Background: Numerous studies investigate the rate of neurodevelopmental disorders in forensic populations. Studies have also investigated the rate of psychopathy in such settings. However, there appears to be a paucity of studies looking at both of these (co-morbidity between these disorders) and the possible relationships between the two in forensic populations. Method: Presented here are the findings from a systematic review conducted, following PRISMA guidelines, of the peer-reviewed literature. The review identified studies that investigated the rate and/or relationship of neurodevelopmental disorders (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders) and psychopathy in a forensic sample population without relying on previous childhood diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders. Results: Twenty-two studies were identified which investigated the rate and/or relationship of neurodevelopmental disorders and psychopathy in a forensic sample population without relying on previous childhood diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorders. Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for the development of screening and diagnostic tools especially targeted at offenders and validated for this purpose.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Umut Belek Erşen

With influence of feminist movement, women came out of their own houses and built up their careers by working two times more than men. The matter of having a child that was pushed into the background has come to the fore in their mid-30s. Working women, as mothers at the same time, tried to fulfil their two times more responsibilities. Superpower mothers come into pieces among the descriptions of working woman, housewife and mothers, because equal relations cannot be structured in public domains and also existence of the roles based on traditional gender patterns continues at home. These super women have not been supported by both government and their husbands in this process. Thus, women started to leave most ignorable area gradually and turned towards the home and their children. Today motherhood ideology is more powerful than the past. Mothers consider "Motherhood" as the meaning of life and realize themselves through motherhood. Today motherhood's becoming more common with more extended limits results from unlimited realm of existence provided by motherhood. Can women build their careers and have children in the meanwhile? Or can't they complete their existences and do they have hope for traditional roles?

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Manuel Velázquez

Internal procedures on bullying complaints are nowadays a common feature in the practice of industrial relations in many countries and international organisations. The legal grounds to implement them can be the employers' duty of care within the framework of occupational safety and health legislation or as a mechanism of internal remediation for the protection of labour human rights. Procedures are not always provided by legal rules but they can facilitate employers how to cope with these behaviours. The nature of these procedures is not disciplinary but preventive, their aim is to avoid bullying. Requirements so that procedures can work efficiently are that workers can participate on them, that persons who manage procedures should be neutral, trained and have enough power to carry out their tasks, to proceed with necessary discretion to protect the dignity and privacy of the Parties involved and to insert operative mechanisms in order to avoid inappropriate complaints, protect complainants and witnesses, prevent interruptions and delays and adopt resolutions and measures when bullying has occurred.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Seung-jun Moon

Although there are many reasons behind anti-Americanism in South Korea in the 21st century, it is believed by some experts that the anti-Americanism originated over a decade ago from the 2002 Olympic short track speed skating controversy, and the issues with the Boeing F-15K. Based on exemplification and social cognitive theories, this study examines the extent to which exposure to the South Korean mass media coverage of these two concrete exemplars of negative American images, Olympic short track speed skating and the Boeing F-15K, affected South Koreans' negative perceptions of America. Results revealed that the South Korean mass media coverage of negative American images serves as the basis for evaluating two well-known American-coded issues: the American soccer team's performance in the 2002 South Korea and Japan World Cup, and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Jozef Meteňko

Purpose - The study aims to look at the best practices and research outputs of private security services in the field of protection of persons and property at major events. This study presents some outputs of research projects EU SEC II - VÝSK. 173, GODIAC - VÝSK. 171 and THE HOUSE - VÝSK. 172. Design/Methods/Approach – To gain the outputs of the three conducted projects, the actual police and security reality was tested while applying practice-oriented research methods, such as planning, modelling and its testing on practical events, direct and indirect observation, explorative methods, in particular a questionnaire and recording techniques, and their evaluation with the use of statistical methods to determine the homogeneity and reliability of the results of qualitative investigation. Findings - The research projects carried out in terms of FP7 present the results which in this direction bring many consequences for cooperation between states, municipal and private security services and its tasks. Research limitations/Implications (if applicable) – The existing legislation in countries of Europe offers several alternative solutions to the issues by using the private security service. Each of the solutions has its limitation arising mainly from the local legislation and national organisation of security services. Practical implications (if applicable) - The study has outcomes and implications for police practice and management in securing major events. Visible applications and consequences have been identified for security planning and controlling, published especially in parts 4 and 5 of this study. Originality/Value - This study is an original debut and the first presentation of the conducted 7th FP research in the section on private security. The study is intended for theoreticians in police sciences, as well as security and police practitioners, in particular police management, security measures planners and management of private security agencies.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Eugenia A Petropoulou

Criticism against agro-industrial food systems and intense farming practices is increasing. Local food chains have emerged as a promising approach for transitions towards sustainable food systems (in terms of environment, socio-economic equity and regional development) [1, 2]. The currently dire economic situation in Greece has 'stimulated' the emergence of alternative local food chains enabling the economic crisis to be understood within the context of resilience [3]. This paper aims to examine resilience as the ability of people, groups or communities to cope with external stresses and disturbances resulting from social, political and environmental change. A relatively new tendency could also be viewed as part of a wider revival of socially-motivated and solidarity based economic activities in the past decade. Local short food chains exist in a range of forms in both commercial and non-commercial settings. A comparison of different types of 'short' food networks is useful and will be presented. The methods employed will be based on a literature review, desktop research and information derived from an EU funded research project. Furthermore, key issues of the analysis will focus on activities, actors, type of products, area and territory, health and sustainability aspects, growth potential and innovation [cf. 4].

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Samar Khan

The objective of this study is to explore the plight of Afghan women during the Taliban era, and how they managed to overcome gender-specific barriers through cooperative initiatives thereby developing and empowering each other. For this study, a literature search was undertaken by using various electronic research databases to understand the Gender and Development (GAD) paradigm in the context of Afghan women in Afghanistan, as well as to examine how two decades of war, invasion, and violent conflict has affected the lives of these women. The literature search determined that despite the horrific conditions for women in Afghanistan, they were still able to organize gender-related survival strategies and, in the process, become aware of more gender-specific concerns. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), the Identities of Women Framework (IWF), and bottom-up development initiatives were just some of the useful tools that were utilized to appropriate quantitative and qualitative analyses of the needs of rural women in Afghanistan. As such, women collaboratively worked together, in groups and organizations, to generate networks, norms, and trust in their communities. This was established not only through aid/assistance but also through partnerships with national and international women's organizations, women's media, and non-government organizations (NGOs). This review thus aims to inform that joint ventures have enabled rural Afghan women to feel more empowered and break taboos, thereby working towards changing gender relations and perceptions at a much deeper level.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Yolanda van Tilborgh

When a number of Muslims in non-Muslim majority countries in North America and Western Europe gained attention as upcoming performers in the genres of hip-hop, stand-up comedy and performing poetry in the last decades, this was perceived as a remarkable phenomenon by public media and social scientists. Firstly, a lot of these performers bring Islam to the fore in their artistic expressions in the public domain, whereas, secondly, the relation between art and Islam is perceived as troublesome at various social levels. While gaining visibility after the multiple terrorist attacks, the phenomenon of entertaining Muslims is often understood as an expression of post-Islamism, the attitude of tolerance in Islamism that synthesizes contrasting opinions. Expressions of Muslims are explained as "purposeful art" and the performing arts as a repertoire to diffuse (positive) Islamic values. To comprehend the complex manifestations of religion in modern day societies as reflected by these trends, existing social perspectives are now no longer considered satisfactory. The forthcoming paper examines if the perspectives of symbolic interactionist, process and relational sociology are indeed insufficient to discuss and explain several significant understandings of Muslims, their practices and discourse regarding (popular) art. Do all of these artists equally pursue art with a social purpose? Are Islamic authoritative voices significant to everyone? Or do the artists follow wayward conversion strategies in order to achieve their objectives and become established?

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Savannah Montanez

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction. Since the 1980s, the number of diagnosed cases of autism in the United States has increased dramatically. However, autism is not distributed equally around the world, likely due to or masked by cultural differences and varying interpretations of the disorder. Specifically, the causes and diagnostic methods of autism are culturally informed. This paper will explore several instances of culture influencing the way autism is understood in different parts of the world, based upon a literary review. I argue for a multicultural and multinational discourse on the cause and diagnosis of autism that would aid researchers and families in gaining a better understanding of the rate of incidence, treatment, and care options around the world.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Marta Aguilar Gil and José María Bleda García

Spain's Transition to Democracy set the stage for the organization of a national healthcare system. The adoption of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 was a political milestone that led to the recognition of every citizen's right to healthcare and the right of autonomy of the various regions that make up the Spanish State. The most distinctive characteristic of the healthcare model set up in those early years of political transition was the decentralization of the healthcare system which transferred political and administrative power on matters of public health to the 17 autonomous communities. It took more than 20 years to complete this decentralization process. This evaluative analysis will examine the pros and cons of decentralization. Due to the economic crisis and the election of a conservative government, the National Healthcare System is being seriously questioned, its very sustainability in doubt as reform measures are being taken that are considered a threat by many institutions and organizations to public welfare.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 5

Itsarate Dolphen

Isan folk performance or Molum is about the folk singing performance narrated by the verse of song composing of words, rhyming with different styles of singing from the beginning of performance to the end of performance. This folk performance has been deep-rooted for many decades in the Northeast Thailand. However, it cannot maintain its traditional styles of performance as it used to be in the past. As for the postmodern era, it is necessary for the owner of Morlum band to adapt his or her performance up-to-date and being attractive to the audience. The question is what modernity in this age is incorporated into this folk performance and which factor is considered as the main factor causing this modernity happen. This paper aims to analyse the modernization of Isan folk performance in the Northeast Thailand. How Isan folk performance adapts itself to the postmodern era to maintain its cultural root will be studied. In this paper, the factors that force this folk performance into modernity will be described as well. The data used in this paper were collected from the four famous Isan folk performances (Morlum troupe) in Northeastern Thailand namely: Rattanasilapa Intathaiyaraj, Rabiab Watasilapa, Prathom Bantheongsilapa, Silapinphuthai. The observation and in-depth interviews of Morlum performers are the key qualitative methods employed in this study. And the modernization theory is proposed as a conceptual framework to analyse the social phenomenon and a new technology incorporated in this folk performance. The findings reveal that All Morlum bands in particular have developed their traditional folk performance into a modern style by incorporating a social phenomenon and new technology into their performances. It has been found that all three main parts of the particular folk performance namely: a luk thung performance, a comedy show and a lumruengtorklorn or 'storytelling' with special rhythmic and melodious music, are modernized in order to attract the audiences and to maintain their folk culture. The modernization incorporated into Isan folk performance can be analysed into many aspects such as the rhythmic and melodious music, the Isan folk songs, the storytelling, the modern stage of performance, the light and sounds, the new high technology of the performance and so on and so forth. The most important factor that forces this folk performance changing to modernization is the financial factor.

]]>May 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Agnieszka Maj

This article endeavors to identify a number of widespread beliefs currently shared by Polish people in relation to food and health, and to present these viewpoints within the context of various lifestyle changes that have been taking place since the political and economic transition in Poland started. The research, based on a survey conducted on a group of selected participants from Poland, took place in July, 2015. It focused on the participants' attitudes and beliefs concerning the kinds of food they considered healthy or unhealthy, as well focusing on their perception of the linkages between healthy eating, and being able to maintain a level of physically self-satisfying appearance. To broaden the scope of analyzes, one of the most interesting findings of the study refers to the results of two other recent nationwide surveys: the survey of dieting and eating habits of the Polish, as conducted by the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS), and the study of changing eating habits of the Polish people conducted by Domański et al. in 2013.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Tu, Hui

Following the tendency of urbanization and commercial development, people migrate to urban areas to seek for better opportunities that rural areas lose the vast majority of young population and only elders remain. These villages suffer serious recessions continually and lack of inputs from public resources. Therefore the authorities devote new programs to improving rural regenerations. Apart from the rural regeneration plan 2011, a rural migratory plan of college youths 'Touch Rural Village – How Touching' has been activated at the same time. Five sophomores from Department of Cultural and Creative Industries, HungKuang University enrolled the contest of 'Touch Rural Village – How Touching' held by Soil and Water Conservation Bureau in 2014. The classic community development procedure was not applied by these students, but a new vision from non-spatial training background was adopted to determine a new development axis and target thus to propel people and surrounding within the village. This report illustrates the targets, process and results of 'Touch Rural Village – How Touching'. Hopefully the observations and conversations from this differential procedure provide innovative concepts that a future integrative application would contribute to a premised conversation in terms of creative design, solutions and action strategies.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Rifat Afroze

For ensuring maximum productivity at workplace, keen understanding on how emotion and social behavior affect performance, motivation, relationships, and confidence at work is essential. The social and emotional skills can underpin effective learning, positive behavior, and emotional health and well-being of those involved in work. Hence, BRAC (world leading non-government organization) decided to design a training programme that will cover the personnel's psychosocial needs. This competence also required in workplace for forming professional relationship, solving problems, and adapting with the complex situations at workplace. This study was undertaken to assess the social and emotional intelligence of BRAC staff. Data were collected from 174 randomly selected staff of BRAC head office (equally distributed by sex) through survey and group interviews. Young, mid and upper management staff were proportionately participated in data collection process. Findings reveal that staff understood their emotions and linking with them, seems motivated in their work, cooperate effectively with their peers. However, they felt a bit difficulty on regulating emotions like anger, tension and stress. Moreover, lack of confidence, nature to avoid disagreement and less relationship management skills (with supervisor) hampered their productivity. This study suggested introducing a training programme where some psychological and psychotherapeutic techniques and behavioral modeling would employ for enhancing social and emotional skills of BRAC staff.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Sarah Brenne

The Internet is both a remediation and a cause of the destabilization of participatory democracy. This paper argues that social media fails as a functional public sphere; nevertheless, social media encourages civic engagement in nuanced ways. Social media imitates a structural public sphere; defined by Jurgen Habermas as an arena where citizens discuss public affairs. Social media fails as a public sphere because continuous surveillance and examination undermine public opinion. Instead social media succeeds through communicating political myths. Ronald Barthes defined political myths as cultural narratives that are encapsulated within an icon. In addition, using Kendall Walton's theory on mimesis, it is argued that political discourse online is experienced as a game with the use of icons. Previous research suggests a correlation between political discourse online and civic engagement offline; researchers continue to search for a causal relationship between political discourse on social media and attendance to civic engagement activities. In conclusion the culmination political myths, power, and mimesis drive social media users to participate in civic engagement activities. The Black Lives Matter movement following the killing of Michael Brown in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri is used as a case study.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

A. Aslı Sezgin

The term social media which was presented into our daily life by Web 2.0 technology and brought a new perspective on our social life habits is the issue which has been discussed broadly in recent years. Social media is composed of different categories such as making friendship and widening environment, social business networks, matchmaking network, graduation network and trademark social networks. Among these networks; Facebook has a large amount of user in Turkey. In Facebook social network in which people from every section can meet in a common network, political views can be shared as well. Children who are mostly influenced by mass media and today especially by new media can learn values and views about political system through new media. Facebook is the universe of this study due to being the most common social network in our country, the sample of study was 4 community pages which were created with the keyword of child in Facebook social network and with the content for children. Facebook community pages which are included in children category will be analyzed with the method of semiotic analysis considering their visual richness. Ideological trends of these pages created for the children will be discussed through this method.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Faheem Akhter

Terrorists have only one narrative, to spread chaos and destruction among the innocent and ignorant Pakistanis, defame Islam and Pakistan and ultimately divide the nation and state. If they are not dealt hard they will keep on polluting the minds and society. In recent few years terrorism has damaged national security and coherence. It has added new dimension to attain political, cultural and military goals. Education comes from books, schools and life experience. Nations grow on solid foundations of education system having futuristic long term goal. Research finds that over a period of time having wide ranging scope and curriculum of schooling systems in Pakistan, society have drifted away from national and social values. Pakistani nation lacks effective education that can get them focused on one single goal and which can unite them as a single nation. They are divided into sects, languages, cultural values, political ideology etc. This study is an endeavour to find out the solution of the menace of terrorism through edification, dialogue and creating terror in the hearts of the terrorists and those who has soft corner for the terrorists. The Study is carried out in sequence; at initial level it discusses the common understanding and importance of education, followed by the need of dialogue and discussion that make the minds of common people clear regarding the destructions caused by the terrorism; and then the impact of deterrence to curb the terrorist's acts.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Conrad Quintyn

In Aristotle's hierarchy 'man' was placed in a position far above all biological life. Nothing to date has been successful in removing him from this lofty perch just below angels. This stubborn worldview has long been at odds with science. However, many of the classical scientists maintained a healthy relationship with religion. Like the classical scientists, it is proposed here that no real conflict exists between religion and science only 'noise' distracting most scholars from the reality of an actual compatibility. Furthermore, an alliance between these two epistemological worldviews is a potent force against the ignorance of religious fundamentalism.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Juan Pimentel-Otero

According to ethnomusicologist Marisol Berríos Miranda, salsa serves as an escape valve for people who live under neocolonial conditions to express their discontents. This paper will discuss the role of nationalism and supranationalism and its manifestation through four of contemporary Panamanian salsa artist, Rubén Blades’ songs. His ability to understand social and political conditions throughout the region, allows for him to deploy Latin Americanism-the political philosophy developed by Simón Bolívar-as an anti-imperialist call urging Latinos to counter United States’ intervention in Latin America during the Cold War.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Siyka Kovacheva and Stanimir Kabaivanov

This paper addresses the question: what explains the differences in young Bulgarians' involvement in informal volunteering, participation in associations and civic protests twenty-five years after the regime change. The explanation is based on the results of a representative social survey with 1030 young people aged 14-27 in the summer of 2014, funded by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The data show that both attitudinal and behavioral measures of civic engagement are influenced, albeit in different degrees, by structural factors such as gender, education, family background, ethnicity, locality and socio-economic status. A very important intervening variable is trust which in this survey is measured towards a variety of social groups. In general, young people in the country tend to express high trust in family and friends and low trust in people outside their immediate milieu. This kind of social capital mobilizing closed horizontal ties ensures support in uncertain times but does not enable more enriching, even if uncertain, contacts with members of wider communities. It also influences the types of voluntary actions young people engage in: more often informal personal assistance for people they know or see directly and much less often formal involvement in NGO activities. Having higher education, middle to high socioeconomic status, living in large cities or the country's capital provide opportunities for the young to recognize the benefits of membership in civic associations.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Lynne Marie Kohm and Alison R. Haefner

A fascinating trend is emerging in juvenile justice - teen courts. As peer-based forums appearing in pockets throughout the United States, these specialized courts for child offenders are designed to actively draw the child into his or her own criminal process, allowing 'the law to work as a therapeutic agent.'[1] We posit that the teen court process empowers children with respect from peers, family and community because of the therapeutic manner of administering justice on behalf of the child offender. This process becomes a therapeutic model when children's lives are changed by the beneficial involvement of their peers in their legal process. The experience of participating in their own justice and the justice of their peers seems to create a natural pathway to building a broader sense of personal responsibility, active citizenship, and a generally healthier future.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Lucy Wanjiku Musili and Paul N. Mbatia

The study examines how the transmission of HIV/AIDS is mitigated by Kenya Prison Service and is guided by four objectives: (a) To measure the perception of Kenyan prisoners on the scourge of HIV/AIDS in prisons; (b) To assess the capacity of Kenya Prison Service in the prevention, control and management of HIV/AIDS in Kenyan prisons; (c) To identify the common practices of managing HIV/AIDS in Kenyan prisons and (d) To evaluate the efficacy of HIV/AIDS management in Kenyan prisons. A survey research of 142 inmates was conducted in 2012/2013. Of these, 98 (69%) were males from Kamiti and 44 (31%) were females from Lang'ata prison. The findings of the study show that, a) More than half 79 (56%) of the total sample in the prisons studied self-reported being infected with HIV b) the reported prevalence of HIV/AIDS is higher among the male respondents as opposed to their female counterparts and c) mean duration of imprisonment was 6 years 2 months. This is not surprising noting that the study was carried out in maximum security prisons where long term inmates are incarcerated. This implies inmates were more knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS. The main obstacles to effective implementation of HIV management programs in Kenyan prisons include a) high prevalence of HIV by inmates; b) lack of clear and proper mechanism of identifying the HIV-positive inmates; c) congestion in prisons; d) poor access to health care services; e) inadequate knowledge about HIV; and f) lack of elaborate discharge planning programs.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 4

Wendy Chan Wing Lam and Wong Chi Hung

Be Kind Rewind, as spoken by the film's title, one may understand the trick that hides behind as Rewind is also associated with the same consonance Remind telling us a film that shares the collective memory of the public. The concept of the Society of Spectacle is brought forward by Guy Debord in 1970s, which he sheds lights on the class alienation, commodification of cultural products, Debord [7] as well as the role of mass media's metamorphosis in staging the so called 'reality' on TV, is considered to be a mainstream channel in 1970s-1980s for people to obtain the news and enjoy entertainment. With this concept, we draw the central theme of discussing this with the film Be Kind Rewind in which it stages how the antique video rental store is forced to be demolished and the adventure that the new generation helps renew the product and share the collective memory, going back to the theme of commodity fetishism that Jappe [16] put forward. From the view point of Theodor Adorno, 'in psycho-analysis nothing is true except the exaggeration' and for film as a product, it also echoes with the idea of fetishism that stated by Wall [22]. Here, the conflict of urbanization and modern development makes it an echo to the concept of the spectacle of making the class alienated through the commodification process of video rental store and also alienates the old people from the rapid development of the modern city. With the revival of reshooting the film with no budget, it connects closely to the concept of the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction that Walter Benjamin put forward that the unique existence of the work of the art determined the history to which it was subject throughout the time of its existence, according to Benjamin [3]. Most importantly, while we watch this film, the real life example that happens in Hong Kong media industry would be Asia Television Limited (ATV) that they stage their 'Rescue Our ATV Show' in order to save their company by attracting the 'potential investors'. While this case connects with the aforementioned film, we can see actually what happen in real life is the opposite. Nostalgia turns into a ridicule. From Jameson [15], postmodernism that the modernist engagement with art and culture is lost in the recycling of things, past full of sentiments, but devoid of the critique, reflections. The television under such circumstance is not limited to provide information and showing the greatest entertainment programme but becomes a spectacle to ask for money yet not in a glamourous and commoditized manner. In light of this, this research is going to explore how mechanical reproduction alienates our society from the real life and how commodification of cultural product especially in Hong Kong TV industry make themselves become the spectacle in this day and age by carrying out content and textual analysis of the above mentioned cases. It would offer a theoretical contribution in which society of spectacle not only brings the success of TV industry but also actually polarizes the TV industry into the 'mass' product and only through exposing its weakness to the audiences as to save the reputation and attract upcoming investors.

]]>Apr 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 3

Touria Houssam and Fouzia Lamkhanter

This research paper relates to a sociolinguistic study of Moroccan traditional lyrics that reflect the sensitive nature of the mother/daughter-in-law relationship. These lyrics produced and presented vividly in Moroccan traditional songs tend to create antagonism and conflict to Moroccan families. The data consist of recordings of some popular songs entertained in rural areas by ordinary women. We will shed light on the importance of oral tradition as a means of transmission of collective imagination and production of stereotypes and social representations. These representations and stereotypes are very dominant in the Moroccan oral tradition and continuously contribute to the maintenance of inequality and gender discrimination. We will scrutinize the connotations conveyed in these folk songs to be able to describe, analyze and subsequently enumerate the different stereotypes that this corpus reveals. The information gathered in this study up to now, as well as others, reveal the existence of different stereotypes associated with the status of both, the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. It also describes the tense and confrontational nature of the relationship between the two women, a thing that seems inevitable. The nature of the relationship that these songs cause and tend to impart, consciously or/and unconsciously, influences family relationships. The Moroccan family lives under the weight of these representations that feed tensions, disrupt family life and consequently feed moments of domination, power struggle and even moments of crisis. Indeed, the Stereotypes linked to this relationship mother-in-law/ daughter-in-law represent real cultural challenges for family life. All in all, we will highlight, on the basis of an extended corpus of popular songs the colorful relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law through analyzing the relevance of these stereotypes and social representations as well as their impact on the Moroccan family.

]]>Mar 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 3

Hasan Güler

In this study, we try to analyze Turkish migrants to Paris and their migration process as well as their adaptation strategies. We refer to this study the result of the academic literature on immigration and the findings from the interviews date discussed. Study consists of four sections. Research methodology and problematic is mentioned in the introduction part. In the second section, we discuss a brief historical review on the phenomenon of migration in France. In the third section, how people coming from Turkey adopt this process is explained. (Based on the findings of our field study the strategy that people coming from Turkey used while they try to adopt the life of Paris). The last section, study concluded with general overview.

]]>Mar 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 3

Joachim Diamoi Agbroffi

The major problem being considered in this article is that of: network materials weakness and old. Inaccessibility of network. Lack of network between two antennas linked to antenna range weakness. Communicational informational and net surfer network power encompass between 2 and 3G while those of internet pen drive and other apparatus of net surfer navigation largely exceed them and are included between 3.75 and 4G (February 2016). All start with presses: monopoly state radio and television decided in 1990, but unequally split, and media and electric networks exclusively in capital and chief town of department then spread, but frequent and long perturbations, sources of unfinished and non-respect of users rights. Enclosed areas, non-electrified agglomerations and spaces without networks exist. At the level of phones, non-consumed credits after the deadline are withdrawn without being restituted to purchasers although dysfunctions and rights to dispose imperishable acquired foodstuffs exist. Ivorian radio television license free added to each electricity tax without being destined to purchasers to movies realizations nor to purchase of cultural scientific documentaries while well-off buy parabolic antennae. Illiterates, 52% of Ivorians have a program less than 10 minutes a week in local languages, well-read, 48% have their programs more 21 hours a day broadcast in French. The article is a work of socio-politic anthropologist of field. Its objective is to analyze inequalities, its thesis is to reveal the lack of media electric coverage of networks and bound inequalities remain, even if under others forms; eventually, its methods and materials, mobilized socio-anthropologic techniques and methods to collect and analyze data.

]]>Mar 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 3

Ysabel Reyes-Ponce and Alejandra Regla Hernández-Leonard

Results of a research into the Cuban society's current perception of Metrology, based on case studies conducted in seven enterprises in Havana, are presented. The possibility to have a positive impact on the Cuban people's knowledge about this topic through well-designed actions aimed directly at meeting their previously identified training needs is demonstrated. It was used the method of research and action. Developed books and teaching materials about metrology, contribute to the elevation in Cuba of the society's scientific culture and the public perception of science and technology.

]]>Mar 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 3

Lu Yi-Ping Cheng Jui-Ching and Chou, Mei-Ju

The present study investigated whether and how themed food series of picture books integrated into preschool daily life activities and curriculum can elevate young children's healthy dietary habits. In order to realize whether young children can recognize the healthy dietary habits, understand the eating attitudes between themselves and the roles in the picture book, and identify with the healthy eating attitudes. 30 children (aged 4-6 years) and 10 of their parents participated in co-reading sessions using 10 selected themed picture books on three morning days in preschool every week for 18 weeks. These children were randomly selected from the researchers' three classes in one preschool. Within the child-centered integrated curriculum design, the reading style was either passive or interactive or combined with classroom group discussion model. From 18 weeks' observation, recording, semi-structured interview with children and parents, and children's work and file analysis, the results suggest that 1. Picture books are effective when children are actively involved; 2. Children recognized with characters' positive dietary attitudes in picture books. 3. Children could clearly point out the similarities and differences between the roles' attitudes in the picture books and their own real life dietary attitudes. 4. Children had ability in identifying with characters' positive dietary attitudes in picture books. 5. Facing peers in classroom showing negative response in verbal expressions, actions and emotions to healthy food, children could offer practical solutions for verbal communicating or body language to guide others to conduct appropriate and healthy dietary behaviors.

]]>Mar 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 3

Célio Panquene

The research was conducted in the community of Nacoja, Mozambique through a case study aiming to analyse economic benefit sharing from natural resources exploration between the Government of Mozambique and the local community in promoting community development. The studied community livelihood is based on agriculture and services provided by both the flora and fauna, the main source of protein is bush meat and energy and medical plants are provided by the forest. Some forests also play a spiritual role as it is there where the "Gods" abide. Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world, it was rated with the third lowest Human Development Index in 2013 by the United Nations. Although the policy of benefit sharing was implemented in 2005 through the Ministerial Decree 93/2005 of 4 May, there is not much knowledge about its effect on rural development. This work is an attempt to fill in this gap. The research was based on fieldwork and semi-structured interviews were applied to nine respondents. The community of Nacoja received a total amount of about $ 3,115.00 in the years of 2009 and 2010. The money was used to purchase, set up and cover maintenance expenses of a milling machine that benefited about 800 inhabitants. Due to mechanical failure and need to invest on other projects, the milling machine was sold in 2014. With the money from the sale of the milling machine, the community managed to upgrade two water boreholes that benefit about 1200 inhabitants in the village. The policy of benefit sharing is an excellent opportunity to promote community development. But it needs to be complemented with other actions, such as the training of Management Committees on matters of management of the community fund and its alignment with rural development strategies.

]]>Mar 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 3

Mehmet Ali Genç

Architectural structures, historic areas, museums, parks, streets and alleys, cultural and social sites in the cities are an important aesthetic element. The most basic element of tourism is to make a situation or space aesthetic. For this purpose, spaces are often restored and tried to make them attractive to the tourism. It is well known that the gifted students (ÜYÖ) pioneered for the development and progress in the society also develop their aesthetic aspects, as well as having their special abilities to produce new and genuine products and opinions. In this study, it was aimed to examine which opinions the gifted students (ÜYÖ) hold to enrich the city we live in an aesthetically manner. To that end, it was taken students' opinions about architectural structures, historic areas, museums, parks, streets and alleys, cultural and social sites. The study was performed with a qualitative approach. In accordance with this purpose, it was received the opinion of 29 gifted students. The gifted students' age has ranged from 13 to 15. 13 of them are female and 16 male. Research data were obtained by means of the face to face group interviewing. Firstly of all, it was brainstormed for each heading. In the second session, outstanding opinions were discussed. Data were analyzed by descriptive analysis and content analysis method. Results were explained by % and frequencies. As a result of this study, it was determined relevant students' opinions about making architectural structures, historic areas, museums, parks, streets and alleys, cultural and social sites attractive in terms of tourism. Original opinions were revealed by comparing students' opinions with existing applications.

]]>Mar 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

Inga Kudeikina

Encumbrances on real estate and on the right to use real estate are different legal institutions. Encumbrances that are created on the basis of law have a different legal substance. As a rule, encumbrances by law are significant and bring benefits to an unlimited number of rightholders. This type of encumbrances includes various protection zones, roads, nature reserves, etc. It is assumed that these encumbrances are for the common good; therefore, the rights of an owner may be restricted. Encumbrances on the right to use real estate are of an individual nature, referring to specific rightholders. Such encumbrances include, inter alia, easements and mortgages. In these cases, the owner may not freely dispose of his property right (property), without considering the rights of third parties. The article is devoted to the problems pertaining to the establishment of encumbrances on real estate. Encumbrances may be established by an agreement between the parties, and legislation allows establishing encumbrances without any authorisation from the real estate owner. The objective of the thesis is to analyse the legitimacy of encumbrances based on law in the context of the impairment of owner's property rights.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

Andreas Nordin

Notions about honour and honour codes are culturally institutionalised and sacralised as well as important quasi-moral human concerns that relate to reputation monitoring. This article addresses honour concepts from the standpoint of the cognition of reputation management and indirect reciprocity. In view of the massive bulk of research on the evolution of moral dispositions for cooperation, it hypothesised that such proclivities for social life underpin and constrain the cultural formation of honour concepts, particularly through the function of reputation. However, there are two prominent theories that address evolved morality, and both consider reputation. Firstly, altruism and group selection theory holds that key moral dispositions are related to punishment and possibly honour, and it proposes that the altruists outcompete non-altruists in a group. By contrast, mutualist theory holds that it is mutually advantageous to cooperate and that an actor's reputation as a reliable exchange partner is at the core of concerns about honour. In this article it is asked whether altruism and mutualism are both of equal explanatory value in explaining honour and reputation. The overarching argument of this article is that mutualist models, prima facie, have explanatory higher ground when a model of the cultural transmission of honour concepts is advanced based on evolved human morality. This objective is highlighted by (a) suggesting a model of how reputation is a conceptual core of honour notions and (b) demonstrating how mutualist rather than altruist approaches offer the most cohesive account of reputation and consequently of honour notions.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

Peter J. Guarnaccia and Carolina Hausmann-Stabile

Anthropologists' contribution to the study of cultural change is urgent in light of the increasing number of people of different backgrounds who are migrating around the globe and settling in new communities, and the opportunities and challenges that come along with that process. By examining the anthropological literature on acculturation going back to the 1936 Memorandum by Redfield, Linton and Herskovits, this paper reviews and assesses the discipline's perspective on acculturation, and lays out the case for why it is critical for anthropologists to re-engage the concept. Although other disciplines, particularly psychology and sociology, have dominated the field of acculturation research more recently, they mostly have done so with a narrow focus. While it is important to acknowledge the pitfalls of anthropology's past study of acculturation, there are important features of the acculturation construct that continue to be relevant. Among these are the study of acculturation as a process that is multidimensional; the investigation of how different kinds of power affect the acculturation process; the impacts of attitudes, actions and policies of the receiving group on how acculturation proceeds; the role of "real history" in understanding processes of acculturation; and the global perspective on these processes. We suggest ways in which anthropologists can reignite the field of acculturation research by engaging with Redfield, Linton and Herskovits' framework and subsequent anthropological literature.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

B. Blakely Brooks

Susto is a cultural syndrome associated with fright that impacts Andean farmers. Measures of social wellbeing were utilized to determine possible risk factors for development of susto. Stress was measured to assess the level of social wellbeing of susto sufferers. The cultural consensus model was used to explore the distribution of understandings of susto and Andean social roles in Peru. Highlander's ability to know and enact the cultural model of Andean social roles was investigated as it related to social wellbeing. By analyzing a variety of potential factors associated with susto one can gain insight into Andean culture and social wellbeing.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

Aaron Andrew Greer

Projects of nationalism in the post-colonial Caribbean have proven difficult to implement and sustain. Beleaguered by low revenues and high crime, extreme class inequality and high emigration rates, economic policies imposed by imperial powers and anemic investment in domestic programs and infrastructure, and governments destabilized by a congeries of external and internal forces, Caribbean countries have faced the daunting task of forging durable nationalist projects that promote investment of all kinds both by the state and the nation. Using an anthropology of the contemporary, I identify and analyze how the problem of post-colonial nationalism is evident in and affected by the presence of a fast food chain in Trinidad and Tobago.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

Andrea Volterrani

In disaster situations, such as floods or earthquakes, the elderly and people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable and require additional attention. However, they are often neglected in existing municipal disaster emergency plans, particularly when such people live alone instead of in a care institution as their location is often undetermined in disaster situations or the information exists (e.g. if the people receive social services or if neighbours are aware of people in need in their vicinity) but is not structured in a way that is usable for civil protection emergencies. Up-to-date information for helpers and a community that is aware of this particular challenge for disaster relief can alleviate this problem. The paper presents the first results of the research action carried out by a joint partnership (universities/Italian, German and Danish voluntary organizations) highlighting: 1) which aspects are relevant for identifying the condition of vulnerability of the elderly and disabled; 2) how to develop a system for vulnerable people in integrated risk management mechanisms through local networks and volunteers; and 3) what is the added social value of volunteering in prevention and support for the elderly and disabled and the contribution to strengthening the resilience of local communities.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

Irina-Maria Manea

This paper will be exploring how a specific category of popular music known as Viking Metal thematically reconstructs heritage and what meanings we can decode from images generally dealing with an idealized past more than often symbolically equated with Norse myth and antiquity. On the whole we are investigating how song texts and furthermore visual elements contribute to the formation of a cultural identity and memory which not only expresses attachment for a particular time and space, but also serves as a leisure experience with the cultural proposal of an alternate selfhood residing in the reproduction of a mystical heroic populace. The study case is that of a few contemporary Swedish Viking Metal bands and particularly their appropriations of Norse mythology.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

Hsu Chu-Chiao Jui-Ching Cheng and Chou Mei-Ju

In an age with rapid development of science and technology, how to cultivate the young generation's scientific literacy becomes extremely important. The study aims to investigate the dynamic process of parent-child co-reading natural science storybooks. Through children's exploring and experimenting daily life science with parents' scaffolding in five reading strategies, including Predictive Strategies, Connective Strategies, Summary Strategies, Summary for Them Strategies, and Note Taking Strategies, the integrated information and analysis results were as follows: First, children with different learning styles had different strategies to read science books. Next, parents need to select appropriately tailor-made reading strategies to enhance children's reading motivation. Thirdly, parent-child co-reading strategies do help improving the children's scientific literacy; children hence had higher interest in absorbing and applying to natural science knowledge, ability as well as more positive attitude towards exploring science.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

Melike Özmen

This project indicates the importance of accurate information to be transmitted to the public and the problems related to lack of information about public bus transportation in Dikilitaş neighbourhood, Istanbul via transmedia storytelling. IETT provides public transportation services in Istanbul. It uses several communication channels such as institution's website, smart phone application, information screens on the bus stations, and information screens inside the buses to convey the essential information about public transportation to the passengers. However, none of these tools are working properly and they fail to give accurate information to passengers. Dikilitaş is located on a high hill in Beşiktaş and it is hard for residents - especially for the people with varying types of physical disabilities, elders, children and people with heavy belongings - to reach their desired destination in the area by walking. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the residents' attention to these problems and to enforce IETT to propose solutions to them. In this process, firstly, the erroneous information provided by IETT is gathered and IETT is informed about that information via e-mail and their call-centre. Secondly, opinions of the residents about these problems are monitored via participant observation and interviews. All of these conversations, observations and interview records are gathered on a blog(http://buotobusugordunuzmu.tumblr.com). This information is transferred into a pop-up book with my personal storyline. A leaflet is designed and hanged on the bus stations around the neighbourhood to attract the attention of the residents to the blog. Furthermore, a promotional video of the book is recorded and published on the blog. In conclusion, the residents started to get in touch with IETT via e-mails and call-centre to complain about the problems in public transportation services in Dikilitaş. IETT declared that they accepted the problem and promised to provide a solution later in 2015.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

Lu Leng and Michael Salzman

Confucianism has been representative of Chinese traditional culture in official context for most of the time since the Han Dynasty (202BC). Since the fall of the Qing Dynasty, China neglected its traditions in order to modernize itself. People seem to be in danger of losing their soul [1]. As capitalism grows in contemporary China, cultural confusion sends China back to its home base - the Confucius worldview and cultural value. People are now exploring ways to integrate Confucianism into modern society. Previous research efforts have explored the motivational reasons contributing to this phenomenon. However, less clear is the psychological and spiritual significance of contemporary aspirations toward resurrecting Confucianism. This paper examines the Confucianism renaissance through the perspective of Terror Management Theory (TMT) which suggests that culture serves as a defense against the anxiety inherent in the human condition. This review is supported by a large body of experimental evidence [2,3]. Numerous studies have found that when people are reminded of their mortality, they are motivated to validate and defend their cultural worldviews and values in order to boost their self-esteem and viability of their own culture.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 2

S. Hariharathamotharan and Dilrukshi Abeysinghe

This study on traumatized adolescents presents the causes and consequences of psychosocial impacts of war on a select cohort of traumatized adolescents. It initially contextualizes the problem by narrating the physical and psychological impacts of war on people. The sample of school going adolescents was selected from the Southern Educational Zone of Vavuniya in northern Sri Lanka, an area predominantly occupied by Sri Lankan Tamils. The relevant information on those traumatized adolescents was obtained from medical practitioners, school teachers and others who had worked with the said traumatized adolescents. A survey was conducted thereafter to obtain the required qualitative data. In many instances semi-structured interviews were held to elicit additional information. The coping strategies adopted by the said school children were then analyzed using the BASIC-Ph multi-dimensional approach, based on the multi-modal therapy (Lahad, 1992). In this study, the conceptualization of coping is based on a proposal by Lahad and his colleagues in which coping is viewed as a response to perceived stress which was defined as "constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of a person". Findings of the research revealed that the selected samples of adolescents were least resilient to severe impacts of war and that their coping mechanisms varied due to varying factors such as their personality, social support, and spirituality. Overall, it may be said that nearly all of them showed symptoms of having been traumatized at different levels, with many of them needing psychosocial support.

]]>Feb 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 1

Leonard Mars

I was not born nor raised an atheist Jew. My identity was formed by various factors among them family background; geographical migration; British education; secular Zionism; anthropological study and research. These factors were the precipitates of two earlier modern revolutions that transformed the modern world and that affected both Jews and non-Jews, namely the French Revolution which was political, and the Industrial Revolution which was economic. For Jews the French Revolution split the hitherto fused elements of religion and ethnicity into their component parts whilst the Industrial Revolution gave rise to urbanisation and increasing individualism. Jews were faced with a choice of various identities; various permutations were adopted, some apparently paradoxical such as Jewish atheist. In this article I examine the interaction of these factors and document how a single case study, my own, exemplifies but one response to the question of modern Jewish identity. Other Jews have chosen different options. For example, my research in post-communist Hungary has shown that former communist Jews have embraced a number of options. Some founded a Reform Synagogues; others became Hasidim; yet others assumed modern Orthodoxy; a few became Zionists; most, however embraced secular Jewish culture.

]]>Jan 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 1

Awoke Amzaye Assoma

Although the introduction of Christianity to the Kore, southwestern Ethiopia, dates to the 14th and 15th centuries, it remained marginal until Charismatic-Pentecostal Christianity expanded and transformed the religious landscape of the Kore in the 20th century. This paper explores the historical and political factors behind this surge and its effects on Kore culture and belief. Based on literature review and my field observations, I argue that the religious change in Kore reflects historically varying counter-hegemonic reactions to north Ethiopian domination. Contemporary religious change, the paper will show, needs to be understood as counter-hegemonic reaction capable of reorganizing the Kore culture and belief in particular and the communities of southwestern Ethiopia in general.

]]>Jan 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 1

Galit Yanay-Ventura

This article deals with orthodox feminists in Israel. Its aim is to study how women create a religious feminist identity and attach to orthodox feminism as a shared space. For this purpose I interviewed 44 women, all of whom declared openly that they regard themselves as orthodox feminists. The interviews dealt with the creation of a religious feminist identity and the conceptions, beliefs, customs and soul searching created by this identity. Five different narratives are presented: the traditional, retiring, interpreter, juggler and rabbinical. Every one of them provides a different world view and a unique answer to the issue of how to be both religious and a feminist. These narratives are not binary (feminism versus religion, feminism or religion) but rather an open-ended interweaving between feminism and religion that produces religious feminism without a hyphen.

]]>Jan 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 1

Alaa Abi-Haidar Bin Yang and Jean-Gabriel Ganascia

In this paper, we use unsupervised named entity recognition and streamgraphs in order to visualize massive amounts of unstructured textual stream data, namely, French newspapers (e.g. Le Figaro, La presse, L'humanité) from the first world war period. Such a visualization allows us to identify main characters, events and locations involved in or relevant to the first world war, according to the French press. Furthermore, our visualization technique can help visually identify correlations between major people (e.g. presidents, generals, public figures...), locations (e.g. countries, cities, towns...) and organizations and events (e.g. corporations, battles...) on multiple aligned streamgraphs. Our method can be applied to unstructured data streams of any domain or time period.

]]>Jan 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 1

Mothibi A Kholofelo

The purpose of the paper is to explore the South African Police Services (SAPS) measures in fighting against woman and child abuse in South Africa since 1994. The challenges and successes within the campaigns against abuse are also highlighted. Police crime statistics released in September 2012 state that in 2011/2012 there were a total of 9 193 sexual offences reported to the SAPS in the Western Cape. The SAPS has recently re-introduced the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units throughout the country to ensure that crimes against women and children are adequately addressed by the police. Legislation includes amongst: The Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998, the Protection from Harassment Act 17 of 2011, and Children's Act No. 38 of 2005. The findings further revealed that the SAPS face challenges when fighting against abuse. Amongst the challenges are the unreported cases of abuse and victims withdrawing their cases because of financial dependency on the offender. Sixteen Days of Activism on No Violence against Women and Children it is a major campaign that is used by SAPS to address abuse. The paper used secondary data, collected from various scholarly documents on woman and child abuse. The paper draws conclusion from the findings obtained in the existing literature and makes recommendations on how SAPS can improve in the prevention of women and child abuse in South Africa.

]]>Jan 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 4 Number 1

David Fazzino

This paper discusses the integration of applied and community-based anthropological fieldwork into programs that do not specifically address applied work. While there has been an increased interest in applied work, it is also the case that not all programs and departments are moving to an applied approach. Instructors who attempt to add these as essential components into advanced level classes may face a multitude of daunting challenges, amongst them the ability to balance this with substantive in-class content delivery, meeting regulatory requirements with the institutional review board, varying levels of student knowledge in methods and theory, and attaining and maintaining student interest. This paper discusses a variety of approaches to meet these challenges and suggests a timeline for a 15-week course that achieves a balancing act of substantive course delivery and hands-on experiences, offering students the best of "both worlds".

]]>Jan 2016Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 12

Cinzia Leone

Adolf Hitler left Vienna and stayed 20 years in Munich in Bayer, before becoming the Führer of the Third Reich. The essay analyses this long period in Munich, when Hitler became the head of the NSDAP and the future Chancellor of Germany, affirming his ideology and conquering Europe. The Munich of the period under the cultural, social and political point of view is considered and the essay tries to ask the question whether Hitler should have been the same if not in the capital of Bayer. The methodology adopted is the pure research through archives and bibliographies with a strong inclination towards the cultural aspects of the impact of the new NS ideology.

]]>Dec 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 12

Anthony R. Grace and Janet E. Palmer

This paper explores the impact of franchising on society by debating both the positive and negative aspects of the business model. Research from both Australia and India reveals the role franchising has played on influencing local customs and culture. Emphasis is placed on the homogeneity of society and franchising's role in embracing uniformity over diversity. The theory of McDonaldization provides a framework for understanding some of the negative ways that franchising affects many aspects of society, not just the restaurant industry. Social franchising highlights the positive potential of the model. The authors conclude that franchising is a powerful tool that can be used for corporate profit, or for social benefit. The aim of this paper is to increase discussion around the topic of franchising and its impact – positive or negative – on the homogeneity of society.

]]>Dec 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 12

Zhukov Artyem Vadimovich

The article is devoted to the theme connected with population mentality aspects' investigation, which exists under conditions of Russian-Chinese transboundary relations at the territory of Transbaikalie. The author reveals the essence of such notions as, «mentality of Transbaikal citizens» and «mythological image»; he also investigates the peculiarities of perception of Chinese images and image of China by mass consciousness of non-Chinese peoples of this transboundary region. The aim and novelty of the work is defined by the fact that it is the first attempt of complex investigation of the phenomenon mythology study in respect to China at the territory of Transbaikalie. The author's allocation of the main construction and reproduction factors of mythological Chinese images spreading is the result of the work. The author suggests the phenomenon «culture boundaries of China» as an aspect of Chinese culture influence, which not only creates an obstacle, but simultaneously serves the point of contact between different nations, cultures and languages, creating thereby an active zone of mythology study on China.

]]>Dec 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 12

Kholofelo A Mothibi Cornelis J Roelofse and Atlas H Maluleke

This paper presents extend of the spread of organised crime in South Africa. The purpose of the paper is to highlight how transition to democracy added fuel for the growth of organised crime in South Africa. Political changes in South Africa provided openings for criminals which had not existed previously. When apartheid ended, border controls were weakened, thus creating potential areas of operation for organised crime. The paper used secondary data, collected from various scholarly documents on organised crime in South Africa. Findings reveal that organised crime was transformed from a domestic to an international phenomenon and from a law and order problem to a national and international security threat. Organised crime is a major threat to social stability and economic growth. It is also viewed as a major impediment to good governance and security in Africa. Policing organised crime relies heavily on the ability of the police agencies to gather intelligence on groups, activities and individuals and their contacts. The paper draws conclusions from the findings and makes recommendations on measures that can be put in place to reduce organised crime problem in South Africa.

]]>Dec 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 12

Svetlana Sharonova Elena Nazarova and Nataly Erokhova

The transformation of the national model of Russian University is under the influence of academic capitalism. The very same academic capitalism was born in the depth of the neoliberal capitalism. The basic principles of the neoliberalization were fully implemented within the transformation of national educational systems: - An arrangement of conditions to accumulate capital and political power in economic elite circles; - A denial of the concept of nation, and, consequently, a promotion of an idea that the government interference in economy is dangerous (in this case in the form of minimization government interference in education); - Assistance in independent and stable functioning of the whole education system including all the levels and elements (schools, institutes, universities, etc.). In Russia and other countries, this leads to the destruction of national educational systems. E. Durkheim said that if in society there are many cultures than each of them which have its own education system. G. Simmel argued that cultural diversity enriches the world community. However the implementation of neoliberal policy in the field of education under the slogan of "globalization" ignores the law and seeks to simplify the interaction between the educational systems in order to achieve clarity and transparency of market exchange. Author analyzes on the example of Russia the trends that resulted from the modernization of the education system that implements neoliberal principles and creates academic capitalism. Virtually neoliberal utopian promises in practice lead to quite the opposite, rather than expected results.

]]>Dec 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 12

Madhu Nagla

This paper reports the findings from interviews with 194 mentally ill women who are seeking treatment in government hospital, Gurgoan in Haryana State, India. The respondents were questioned about their participation in leisure activities, and also about the overall experience of leisure activities. The results show that the women believed that leisure is not a part of their routine activity and hence they do not get benefits of leisure in their mental and physical health. Further, respondents reported that leisure activities gives feeling of physical and mental health and also provides experience of pleasure and freedom. It is argued that, contrary to the notion that leisure helps in maintaining good physical and mental health, doctor do not insist on participation in leisure activities. It is concluded that leisure and mental health are all embedded in the surrounding social contexts and, indeed, that leisure activities in general are inextricably entwined with their boarder cultural and structural context.

In the Amazon, the organ and tissue transplant service was created in 2013 with the implementation of hepatic transplantation outpatient ward at Adriano Jorge Hospital Foundation due to the high rate of cases and the rising cost to the State. The work results from a survey conducted within the Support of Scientific Initiation Program whose goal is to analyze the social determinations in the assisted cases. It had performed a documentary and field research with the use of interviews and observation as data collection technique. The results show the social conditions as important factors that must be taken into consideration in the process of becoming the able patient for transplantation, however, a network support is still needed to be built.

]]>Nov 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 11

Elizabeth Pollitzer and Martina Schraudner

Innovation ecosystems can be constructed around any subject matter. We choose here the topic of gender, which we examine as a component of innovation success. Most analyses of innovation systems tend to assume gender-neutral position with regard to identity and roles of participating actors and their activities. However, real-life innovations can often result in different quality of outcomes for women and men; the innovation potential of highly trained women remains unrealised; and the recent socioeconomic empowerment of women as driver of market needs continues to be ignored. Drawing on latest research evidence from studies of gender issues in science, we show how innovation systems can benefit from adopting more gender sensitive approaches, which recognise the role gender plays in shaping knowledge and market activities. We propose four scenarios for constructing gender sensitive innovation ecosystems based on different gender dynamics that combine scientific understanding of sex and gender differences with improved engagement of women in innovation process, enabled through participatory methods and open and inclusive innovation practices.

]]>Nov 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 11

Jakir Hossian

A land is devoured by pervasive corruption has been studied well. A country without a leadership worsens corruption in society is the theme for this research writing has been presented with wider analysis and descriptions. Crimes or corruption are various in natures have been investigated from different aspects and facets. The leadership in Bangladesh from very inception of independence has been shaky, frail and instable. The third parties around the politics take ample scopes to create the vacuum of leadership. Finally some findings have been concluded in the final stage of the topic which heavily hinges on enormous salient facts including lacks of competences and worthiness of a leadership who fundamentally leads the nations in collaboration with other members of the government, and owing to failures in ensuring such onus and performances, the total systems of the national functions are corrupted and thus no parts of her mechanism work well. And the rest focuses on the characteristics of her subjects who, in spite of not being so involved in all facets of functions are directly or indirectly responsible for worst situations with their superfluous attitudes, superstitious belief, crime intent, timidity, dodge, pedantry, ego, folly, vices, ill motives and avidity. Besides feminists leadership roles for a long time, ill and loose governing capacity & lawlessness have a huge impact on national instability and risk escalation.

]]>Nov 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 11

Rubina Nusrat

The Van Gujjars families migrating to the Alpine pastures today face the same fate of being the ‘victims of conservation'. It started in the forest of foothills at the beginning of the 1990s with Rajaji National Park, but during the last decade most of the summer pastureland in the upper ranges has also been converted into national parks, global heritage sites or sanctuaries. Apart from National parks, Van Gujjars elsewhere had the right to graze their animals in parts of the forest against a fixed grazing fee. But now some forests are being closed by the implementation of Joint Forest Management Programmes. This Paper is based on a mixed research in which the quantitative aspect aimed at identifying the factors and levels of women empowerment before and after sedentarization through a Women empowerment Index. Qualitative research aimed to explore perspectives of young women from Gujjar community in terms of patterns of coping in their sedentarized life. Narratives of women presented a sense of collectivism and identification with issues and concerns of other Gujjars in terms of an identity of victimhood and a sense of being marginalized and socially excluded. Following patterns of coping emerged from narratives: Use of existing resources, Women as Livestock owners and managers, Women as Leaders in Migration, Work Participation and status of women, Women as Builders of Asset base, Gujjar women- the Natural resource managers, Coping through normalizing and acceptance, Coping in social matters and Assurance for moneylenders.

]]>Nov 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 11

David B. Ugal

Gender equality and women's empowerment are important indicators in development strategies that focus on poverty reduction and improved maternal health. Despite the importance of these factors to the overall wellbeing of women and the nation, research in this area is neglected. Besides the condition of women in relation to women empowerment, indicators have remained poor in the study area. The study used data from the 2008 national Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS, 2008) to examine the socio-economic condition of women in relation to their level of empowerment and how it affects maternal health outcome in Cross River State. The study utilized data of a representative sample of 735 women of age 15-49. A majority of respondents reported Poor/low socio-economic status ranging from low educational status, unskilled occupation, and low income per month, seasonal employment etc. This affected the level of empowerment in all the indicators – women's participation in household decision making, their attitude towards wife beating and their attitude towards a wife's right to refuse sexual intercourse with her husband or partner. These conditions manifest in high maternal morbidity and mortality. These are also responsible for women's inability to determine number of children, spacing and antenatal care options available to them. These findings are in line with the prevalent scenario in the entire country. There is therefore an urgent need for improving and enhancing women socio-economic condition as it will improve their level of empowerment and will bring about better maternal health status.

]]>Nov 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 11

Hung-Chang Lee and Mei-Ju Chou

The study aims to explore Taiwan preschool parents' parenting belief in "children's learning in advance and winning in the beginning" and whether the parenting source differs because of parents' family background. With the appropriation 0.5% categorized as level random selection, 949 young children were selected, and the 709 valid questionnaires were retrieved. The outcomes were concluded as follows. (1) Preschool Parents agree on "the earlier the children participate in brain potential activities, the better the children learn; however, comparing with parenting concept, the real parents' participation rate is less 3.34. (2) Comparing with male parents, female parents emphasizes more on "the earlier the children participate in brain potential activities, the better the children learn; considering the parents' education degree and living area, parents of lower education degree and living far away from city emphasize more on "the earlier the children participate in brain potential activities, the better the children learn. (3) There is a significant difference in parents' parenting belief among the living areas within Taiwan. After the mediating effect of parents' educational degree, the family background living area factor of "near and far away from" city decreases its own influence.

]]>Nov 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 11

Elena Spina

A deep economic crisis started in Italy in 2008 leading to a reduction of general household consumptions, especially in the oral health care sector. The dental sector is characterized by the almost exclusively private nature of the services offered outside the INHS, thus taking the form of a demand-driven sector. The paper focuses on Italian dentists' perception of the economic crisis. It presents the first findings of an empirical research that was carried out in order to verify if and to what extent this occupational category perceived the economic crisis, if any threats were felt, what changes and challenges it was experiencing and what kind of strategies the profession has been implementing in order to overcome the crisis. Although dentists clearly state their problems and the perceived threats, they are not able to identify possible solutions as well.

]]>Nov 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 10

Wu, Ho-Tang and Chou, Mei-Ju

This research aims to develop Taiwan Teacher's Sense of Community Scale, because there are rare(is no) sense of community scales for teacher in Taiwan. In process of developing the scale, we had three procedures: 1. Literature analysis: the relevant theoretical foundation includes sociology, sociological psychology, and etc., this research adopted workplace spirituality, since sense of community is one dimension in some workplace spirituality scales, and it can be further divided into sense of connection, sense of support, and sense of having the same purposes. Therefore, our research takes sense of community as the variable and the just mentioned three points as the dimensions. After literature analysis, 14 items were proposed. 2. Reviewed by experts: Four experts provided opinions for us to modify the initial 14 items from theoretical and practical perspectives, and the results are--8 items remained the same, and 6 were modified. 3. CFA: The items were further inspected by three models. (1) The initial model: The 14 items of the three factors were edited into a Likert five-point-scale, and first-order CFA model to confirm their fit, and the result showed that the overall model was fair (N=235), although one item's factor loading was only .36, yet it was deleted. (2) Modification Model: The model after deleting the item was called modification model with fair results after our confirmation. Further analysis was conducted for the basic fit of the modification model, and it is found that there were no offending estimates, and the fit of the internal structure was acceptable (including the individual reliability, the composite reliability, the average variance extraction). 3. The review model: Due to that the model was modified, another batch of the samples was investigated (N＝378) for confirmation of the model's stability. Since the overall results were fit; up to now, the 13 items of the three factors' Sense of Community Scale for the teachers was established, including sense of connection (4 items), sense of support (5 items), and sense of common purposes (4 items).

]]>Oct 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 10

Fiorella Vinci

Through what mechanisms do social cognitive and normative dispositions of individuals help define the economic and social development of different territories? Placing itself within the tradition of the sociology of public action and making use of the results of a comparative study on the implementation of cohesion policy in Sicily and Sardinia, this paper suggests that the different reflexivity of public action found in the two regions could be conditioned by collective processes of individualization. The policies developed in the two regions differ for their degree of appropriateness to the economic and social history of their respective territories. The processes of individualization that enhance the dimensions of otherness and those of the limit, the legal and historical formations of individual autonomies seem to be the social mechanisms that could most of all affect the reflectivity of public action and the effectiveness of policies. The comparison reveals that the chronological anticipation of the processes of formation of private property and the social entrepreneurship role played by the local aristocracy following the unification of Italy led to the internalization of the legal sense of the limit and to that of the social need to regulate the lives of individuals in relation to others.

]]>Oct 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 10

Pauli Sumanen

The objective of this research was to find a reliable method to measure the quantitative productivity of men and women to be used in the gender wage gap verification. For that purpose two different statistical survey materials were bought from the Statistics Finland: The Labour Force Survey material, which is based on phone calls, and weekly material of the Time Use Survey, which is based on handwritten diaries. The European Parliament resolution 2008/2012(INI) states in chapter G 'whereas the pay gap is not based solely on disparities in gross hourly earnings and account should also be taken of factors such as ... productivity, which should be measured not only in quantitative terms (hours when the worker is physically present in the workplace) ...' Results from the Time Use Survey indicate that approximately 13% of male employees and 4% of female employees work more than 50 hours per week. The annual working hours of full-time working male employees are 17-20% higher than working hours of female employees in a normal economic situation. The analysis of the Labour Force Survey material shows that the Time Use Survey is more reliable for measuring the quantitative productivity.

]]>Oct 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 10

Ekaterine Pirtskhalava

In 2005, the United States government granted refugee status to Muslim Meskhetians from post-Soviet Russia. This group, originating from Georgia, has been subject to external rule and multiple forced displacements throughout the twentieth century. Spawning a mass migration of over 16,000 refugees, Muslim Meskhetians now reside in approximately thirty-three continental states. Guided by previous studies on cultural adaptation and identity maintenance, this article seeks to examine the impact of displacement on family structure and gender roles, in order to illustrate how displacement has reshaped power relations, family decision-making, and gender relationships among Muslim Meskhetians families in the United States. Based upon qualitative in-depth interviews with refugees in Illinois and Pennsylvania, this article finds that Muslim Meskhetians are engaged in a struggle for cultural maintenance and cultural adaptation, carefully negotiating traditional values of patriarchal religious conservatism with contemporary American liberalism, leading to the construction of a new hybrid identity.

]]>Oct 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 10

Robert K. Hitchcock

Between 1989 and 2007 the World Bank was one of the funders of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project in southern Africa. This project, which included two large dams (Katse and Mohale), had significant impacts on local people, including loss of grazing, arable land, and resettlement of 71 households in Phase 1A and 325 households in Phase 1B, with a total of 573 people being affected directly, and another 20,000 people affected indirectly (e.g. through loss of natural resources, disruption of travel routes). Conflicts between LHDA and the World Bank revolved around compensation, resettlement, development, in-stream flow requirements, downstream impacts, the use of project royalties, and the safeguard policies of the World Bank. The impacts of Phase 1 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project are examined, and an assessment of the LHWP relative to other large-scale infrastructure and resettlement projects in Africa and Asia sponsored by the World Bank and other funding agencies is provided.

]]>Oct 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 10

Liu Yi Li Xuejiao and Su Leixin

Recently we can see more and more elements from the traditional Chinese culture appear in Hollywood movies as well as television such as Kung Fu Panda. I believe some people think those elements are "not very Chinese", but the movie still got some key essence of the Chinese traditional , such as "Tao", "harmony between man and nature", etc.. This paper analyses the Chinese ecological and cultural theory reflected in American film and television, and considers that Chinese culture has a great influence on American society. In the same time we remind people to pay attention to this kind of influence, and reappraise the promotion of China's soft power in the international status.

]]>Oct 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 10

Ali Akbar Alikhani

If research, knowledge production, and theorization are equal to innovation, we have to accept that Islamic political thought suffers from a slow movement in innovation. The small number of researches that exist in this field, repeat themselves using a different terminologies and word orders. Obstacles on the way of development of researches in Islamic political thought need to be surveyed in depth. Such a survey will probably encounter the same obstacles. This paper aims at a brief review of a number of obstacles that have been experienced during concrete research procedures by the author. The obstacles between them are not clearly identified. The first group is related to the researcher which includes: unnecessary caution, no reference to original texts, definition of the problem from an abstract perspective, no reference to concrete examples and texts. Tec second category is related to the cognitive and educational system of the Islamic world. Among these problems there are a variety of historicism, lack of centrality of knowledge and weakness of scientific procedures. The third group is affected by the scientific system of the west, in which the discussion is not defined by themselves. The last group is created in the concrete political situation of Islamic countries and includes: transformation of basic concepts in political thought in to political and ideological issues, and vulgarization of basic concepts in Islamic political thought.

]]>Oct 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 10

Sebastian Bandelin

Theories of recognition are an important approach for the development and normative foundation of a critical social theory. One central thesis is here that the formation of a positive personal identity depends on the affirmation by others in contexts of mutual recognition and that this affirmation is the decisive normative criteria for the constitution of social institutions. But insofar as this personal identity is in many cases only conceived as an identification of the actor with his own qualities and abilities, it follows that the social context, in which this positive personal identity is achieved, remains arbitrary. The trouble is here that the affirmation of a certain personal identity may than correspond to the existing expectations of the actor and ensure his integrity, but at the same also reaffirm the power relations of the social context, in which this identity was formed. In the second part of my paper I would like to develop an account oriented towards the social philosophy of pragmatism, which avoids these problems. Recognizing has to be conceived not as an affirmation of an already existing identity, but as a social process. In this process the actors and social groups are always confronted with unintended social consequences of their actions for others and are therefore led to a crisis and reformulation of their actual practical identity. And this holds not only on the level of the individual, but also on that of institutions. The democratic public is the realm in which a common elucidation of problematic social consequences of the existing institutions takes place. This elucidation is then the background for a critical reflection on, and a reformulation of the guiding norms of these institutions. In consequence critique refers to blockades of this process of experience, in which institutionalized rules are questioned and reformulated.

]]>Oct 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 9

Hart O. Awa Bartholomew C. Emecheta and Ojiabo Ukoha

The effect of demographic characteristics of management on ICT adoption is well-researched but how such location issues as firm’s knowledge centre and diverse workforce explain the interactions between demographic composition of management and the rate of ICT adoption is yet to receive adequate scholarly attention. This forms the cornerstone of this paper. Opinions of 344 SME operators were purposefully sampled across five industries located in three geo-political areas of Nigeria. Two cities (a state capital and a commercial nerve centre) were studied and a four-step hierarchical regression was used to analyze the data. The finding shows that location factors such as availability of diversified workforce and improved knowledge centres statistically influence the age, gender, education, and experience composition of management team and ultimately ICT adoption. Therefore, location factors shape management team’s demographics and ICT adoption, and such combination provides SMEs with stronger latitude to be more proactive and pre-emptive in their ICT adoption decision.

]]>Sep 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 9

Pujiyono and Djuwityastuti

The existing of the Social Security Administration is one manifestation of the nation's goals that is called in Indonesian Constitution, which is to promote the general welfare through health security. But the Social Security Administration in Indonesia, which is called BPJS institutionally still has some weakness. BPJS institutionally still formality actions and has not touched the substantive justice to promote health security. This research applies empirical model with legal approach, because of the problems studied include aspects of the human mind and regulations. The collected data are arranged inductively by identifying, according to classified the issues and research purposes, then the conclusion that it becomes an ideal model BPJS institutions in order to reach the health security based on substance justice in Indonesia.

]]>Sep 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 9

Samuel Otieno Sudhe Sussy Gumo and Crispinous Iteyo

This paper explores the socio-cultural and historical background that gives rise to the unique practice of the double rite of passage in the Nomiya Church (NC) in Kenya. The NC as the first African Initiated Church (AIC) in Kenya started among the Luo people, a community that traditionally did not practice circumcision. Circumcision and baptism as religious rites of initiation are simultaneously performed on the male infant on the eighth day after birth. The double rite of passage is evidently a reversal of the decision of the first Church Council of AD 49 at Jerusalem (Acts 15) which settled for baptism rather than circumcision as the Christian initiation rite. The conceptual framework here called 'appropriation dialogue' is the biblical concept of covenant. Covenant entails mutual reciprocity whereby God seeks relationship with human beings, who respond in obedience as they appropriate the gifts from God. The NC theology is grounded on God's calling of Prophet Johana Owalo. The pillars of the NC are in her rejection of the doctrine of Trinity and in her denial of the divinity of Christ. The NC embraces African practices like polygamy and levirate marriage. In the NC worship are several aspects of Islamic worship. This study has endeavoured to answer the question on the continued relevance of circumcision to the theology of the NC if baptism in Christianity is the sign of the new covenant. The double rite of passage is at the core of the NC theology.

]]>Sep 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 9

Mansour Pourmehdi

This paper explores the ways in which the internet as the engine of globalization contributes to the spread of a global culture by transforming traditional cultural values. Morocco has been at the crossroad of globalising forces for sometimes, yet the cultural values that treat men and women differently remain strong. Using questionnaires and interviews, this research finds that the internet facilitates the breakdown of traditional boundaries that militate against sharing space and mixing with the opposite sex. The internet acts as a medium, which empowers individuals to behave in ways that breach Moroccan social norms, allowing young people to evade traditional barriers to romance by sidestepping cultural taboos without breaking them.

]]>Sep 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 9

Giovanni Colombo

The need to adopt an ethical attitude in Research and Innovation (R&I) is growing with the increasing power of scientific and technological developments and the huge impact they can create on society and environment. However, the effects of research and innovation are difficult to predict and this makes quite hard to inspire a priori the action of researchers and innovators towards credible objectives of social benefit. The paper puts forward some new arguments about the feasibility of a responsible research and innovation approach applied to the grand challenges, namely the strategic issues of universal relevance like food and water safety, sustainable mobility, global warming. It is shown how grand challenges can foster a responsible attitude in R&I due to their specific nature and the level of social involvement they demand. Key enablers of the responsible approach are the integration of social disciplines since the design of the R&I Projects and the association of renewed education models to the R&I initiatives conceived according to responsibility criteria. Two examples, taken from the innovation topics arising respectively in sustainable energy and heating sectors support the abstract considerations.

]]>Sep 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 9

Vladimir Paperni

The Great Terror in the USSR of the mid-1930s was an implementation of a social engineering policy aiming at exclusion (extermination or isolation) of certain social, political, and ethnic groups. This policy was embodied in the "Manichean" Stalinist discourse, which was based on imagery of the ideal, absolutely good Soviet polity enclosed within multiple real and symbolic boundaries that various evil "enemies" were constantly trying to trespass. Identification/invention of "the enemies" was realized by means of narratives of exclusion. The author of the offering article analyzes mechanisms of generation, structural peculiarities, and cultural background of narratives of exclusion, which plaid exceptionally important role in the Stalinist repressive practice.

]]>Sep 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 9

Makoto Sakai

I performed a comparative analysis of media reports that related to the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. I researched advanced countries' media reports on the nuclear power technology field, and especially those from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France and so on. I focused on researching these countries' news contexts and changes to their nuclear policies, and compared the public opinions on nuclear power policy reflected in each country's media. According to Ulrich Beck, in a society steeped in risks and uncertainty, the existing political system becomes the malfunction, and technology is tinged with political characteristics. Consequently, a new type of democracy that controls risks and uncertainty through academic means becomes needed. I used the framework of sociology and media studies, and my research purpose is to clarify the different contexts for nuclear power policy that Japanese media have not reported well in the above-mentioned countries, and contribute to the enhancement of self-information-governance educational materials about nuclear power technology. Currently, international media companies post news in the newspapers and on their websites in English. They post large amounts of content every day, and update it frequently. For this research, I gathered news texts on the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster from newspapers and websites. For example reports of France and Germany were more realistic among other European countries. It can be said that the response towards nuclear safety of these two governments showed "Contrasted route" to which Japan should refer in the future. Then I categorized them into four groups, to analyze what the media in the above four counties have reported about Fukushima: 'same context' (typical context), 'a different context from other countries' media', 'a changing context from before', and 'proposals for the decommissioning and reconstruction process in Japan'. After all, this nuclear accident in Fukushima is unquestionably "a man-made disaster" occurred by having neglected the improvement of the problem that was bound by the one like "law of the nuclear power village" such as "the nuclear power plant is safe and information disclosure is unnecessary" and pointed out from the outside and the effort of information disclosure. In the near future, what is necessary for Japan is not only the technology around the nuclear reactor but also introduction of "the technology that the civilian observes nuclear power village" composed of the bureaucracy, the academy and the company that have to do with nuclear power generation.

]]>Sep 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 9

Vuong Quoc Duy

Rice production in the Mekong Delta region accounts for more than 50% of Vietnam's total paddy production and 90% of its rice export volume. Therefore, increasing the efficiency of rice production systems and enhancing the comparative advantage of Vietnam's rice industry have been an important focus area for policy makers and researchers for many years. Access to credit has been identified as a key factor for improving rice production. This fact is validated in this study by considering the production and technical efficiency levels of rice production for a sample of farmers in the Mekong Delta. The study focuses particularly on the effects of both formal and informal credits on production levels and production efficiency by using a Stochastic frontier analysis and a quantile regression. By using the data from survey 300 rice production farmers in Mekong Delta in 2014, the results confirm the positive influence of credit on production and production efficiency. Both formal and informal credit appears to be important. The findings also imply that in order to improve the rice production outcomes, various possibles policy recommendation needed to be considered such as expansion of rura l credit systems, establishment more branches of agricultural and community banks, settlement the savings mobilization programmes and provision the "credit plus" services to the banks customers.

]]>Sep 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 8

Zhazira Turlanbekova

This study is designed to describe applicants'/students' perception of admission tests and exams at Kazakhstani institutions. Often Kazakhstani higher education specialists make amendments in the curriculum, educational policy, and teaching methodology without considering the students' voice. According to the researcher's observation, Kazakhstani government did a little research on students' perception of admission tests and exams at Kazakhstani universities. Since all Kazakhstani universities admit applicants according to the Unified National Testing (UNT)/Complex Testing of applicants (CTA), the researcher focused on the UNT/CTA. The goal of the research paper is to observe students' perception about the UNT and international tests.

]]>Aug 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 8

Samuel Otieno Sudhe Sussy Gumo and Crispinous Iteyo

Rites of passage are a universal phenomenon marked by transitions during major life changes. In the Nomiya Church (NC) circumcision and baptism as religious rites of initiation are simultaneously performed on the male infant on the eighth day after birth whereas the female infant gets baptism only but on the fourteenth day. The practice of simultaneous baptism and circumcision is hereby referred to as a double rite of passage. This double rite of passage in the NC for the male members apparently gives the male an edge over the female. The double rite of passage is connected to the purification rite of the mother after birth which demands that she is confined. The NC, the first African Initiated Church (AIC) in Kenya started among the Luo people, a community that traditionally did not practice circumcision. The socialization of the Luo community entrenched male domination and leadership while encouraging female submission. Specifically this paper explores the socio-theological grounds for gender disparity in the NC. Gender disparity in the NC is a product of various aspects of the worship and practice that exclude women from active religious participation. This system of social structures and practices manifests in a social environment where men dominate and oppress women. This study argues that the instances of gender disparity in the NC are connected directly or remotely to the double rite of passage.

]]>Aug 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 8

Rie Nakamura

This paper investigates the reasons why university students in Malaysia prefer the term race over ethnic groups. The usage of the word race by students and faculty members in the classroom will be examined, along with academic writings and media usages of this term. Further, reasons for the pervasiveness of the term race in Malaysia will be explored. In this paper I argue that the concept of race is used to create a notion that the three major ethnic groups in Malaysia are physically/biologically separate groups, and that their differences will never be changed. Such sedentary ethnic divisions are important for the maintenance of social hierarchy and status quo in Malaysia.

]]>Aug 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 8

Kenneth Wong See Huat

This study is to investigate the relationship between the cultural landscapes in Asia and Asian Modernity. As first variable, the cultural landscapes chosen are from the UNESCO World Heritage Listing, up to the year 2012. Modernity, the second variable, is the result of simultaneous and contradictory influences and consequences of homogenization, pluralization, and hybridization of the material and non-material items. The foundation of this study is established by studying the basic information of Asian countries, where the cultural landscapes are situated, its population and density, ethnic majority, governance system, and the nomination criteria of UNESCO. The sites are then linked to the contemporary backdrop to reveal the great diversity of the interactions between humans and their environment over the time span, to see whether they are sustaining the traditional living cultures, and to see how the current politics, socio and economic circumstances influence the sites. The analysis is based on four categories: (i) Early human settlement and spirituality (Grottos and sacred sites), (ii) Economy and cultural activity prove (plantation, mining and trading route), (iii) Ancient township and empire remains, and (iv) Intentional human intervention landscape. Out of the 17 cultural landscapes in Asia, 16 are considered highly relevant with its modernity. The cultural landscapes do contribute to ethnic or cultural identity affirmation and pride in Asia, in the probe of modernity. The analysis also prompts us to think further whether the result would be different if other continent (other than Asia) would have been adopted. The positive result indicates the urge for the relevant institutions to brainstorm on what could be done to further enhance the cultural landscapes in this modern era. The proven relationship brings out the significance in safeguarding the continuity of cultural landscape's essence amidst flow of modernity.

]]>Aug 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 8

Emmanuel Mutungi Felix Ngunzo Kioli and Benson Azariah Mulemi

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the importance of ethnic material culture particularly basket making and wood carving in household socio-economic enterprises in Kanoni and Engari-sya sub-counties in Kiruhura district, S.W. Uganda. The study reviewed eshekuru and orugari to illustrate the importance of ethnic material culture in household socio-economic enterprises. The study was based on ethnographic data collected from twelve participants using snowball approach. The study findings revealed that household perception of ethnic material culture was based on Western influenced ideologies such as those of education, religion, and mode of governance on one hand and on the other hand, it was based on household cultural pride. Household's perception of appropriate ethnic material culture was one that did not conflict with the Western religious doctrines, education system or prescribed government policies. Moreover, households wanted to keep and use ethnic material culture that made them unique and proud of their traditional cultural values. The study proposed and recommended a policy shift that promotes the use of ethnic material culture in household enterprises because it was found out that most households use it to augment government supported programs.

]]>Aug 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 7

Soniya Wazed and Jinea Akhtar

This paper highlights the existing literature on the nature and problem of policing by investigating their obvious and not so obvious origins, their enabling culture, reforms, and the immense challenges encountered by those trying to shake up the status quo. By way of literature review, further investigates the intricacies and complexities of democratizing policing in Latin America: Brazil and Argentina, in light of the fact that their governance systems have transitioned from military rule to electoral democracy and have been in operation for over two decades. The paper also explores why the police reforms that were introduced and implemented are yet to yield the desired results. Police in democratic states have increasingly been questioned over their roles and responsibility in order to determine whether they are actually reducing crime or merely increasing the fear of crime. Throughout the articles reviewed, common themes of trust and improved collaboration with stakeholders emerge, giving directions to where possible solutions of the problems may lie.

]]>Jul 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 7

Antonio Putini

The present contribution stands as a wider sociological reflection of some empirical evidence resulting from a national research project entitled "Federalism, Local Autonomy and Quality of Democracy". In an attempt to understand the reasons for the substantial halt of the federal reform process in Italy, analysis of content of 60 interviews given by privileged witnesses of the administrative and local political system emphasized some cultural traits which played a seminal role. Above all, it has been detect the persistence of a ruling-classes political culture geared toward a "private" or group-oriented dimension of interest more than in accordance with public and collective aims, which creates a network of relationships between politics, society and the economy. This network is oriented to the defence of what has been achieved thanks to familistic (or neo-feudalist) mechanisms of interaction. By looking at the picture that emerges within a wider constructivist theoretical framework, it is possible to understand the Italian lack of engagement towards the bandwagon formed by countries that have managed to gain an advantage through the phenomena of globalization in terms of growth, competitiveness, development and democratization of decision-making processes in their political systems (by implementing, for example, inclusive decision-making practices supported by the use of new technologies of information and communication). The aim of the contribution is therefore a reflection on the Italian identity and political culture and their weight in shifting the impact of globalization from a potential added value for both national and local development to the virtual present loss of competitiveness of the whole system.

]]>Jul 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 7

Anuar Md Nor and Rosmimah Mohd Roslin

The Malaysian palm oil industry has become a major and diversified industrial sector over a period of forty years. Several palm oil firms have expanded internationally by establishing oil palm plantations in other developing countries, as well as by acquiring firms in developed countries. In addition, the Malaysian palm oil industry had managed to develop new technologies to improve production yields and create new products for consumers. Our study aims to analyze the role of an institutional network in the palm oil industry in the generation and sharing of new knowledge. It is suggested that this institutional network creates industry competitive advantages through the development and application of industry best-practices. A qualitative approach was used to have an in-depth understanding of the institutions involved in the institutional network and the types of interactions that take place among the key institutions for knowledge generation and sharing. The study involved gathering of primary data through in-depth interviews of key managers of palm oil palms, representatives of industry associations, government officials and senior staff in an industry-funded R&D institute. The main result of our findings shows that new knowledge is generated by on-going research activities of an industry R&D institute, which is managed as a government entity. The R&D institute is required to share the new knowledge with firms in the palm oil industry. It is found that the R&D institute tapped the knowledge of a global network of experts to search for new information and technology directions, which we call expert informational network (EIN). The institutional network is further reinforced by informal linkages among institutions and executives in the Malaysian palm oil industry. These relationships have been propagated by several generations of industry executives, industry leaders and heads of governmental units.

]]>Jul 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 7

Jiri Subrt

In 1937 P. A. Sorokin, together with R. K. Merton, published an essay entitled Social Time: A Methodological and Functional Analysis, in the American Journal of Sociology. They noted that most social scientists share in a silent assumption about the use of the astronomical concept of evenly flowing, quantitative time, and maintained that the astronomical concept of time has a number of shortcomings when applied in the social sphere, so they tried to promote the concept of "social time" as a methodological tool, to lead to a deeper understanding of social periodicity. Since then, the concept of social time has become settled in sociology and social sciences and been the subject of various reflections. This paper examines the problems associated with its use.

]]>Jul 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 7

Shenghai He

This essay, taking G village in the northwest minority regions of China as an example, analyzes the quotas quo, types, characteristics, major causes, effects and the trend of suicide cases from sociological perspectives. Based on the data collected from 1956 to 2009, it is hoped to articulate various reasons of suicide that happened in the rural villages of China. And, more importantly, via these suicide cases, a great epic of social change in rural areas of China can be depicted to represent the experience of modernization in minority regions of China. It is found that suicide is significantly related with social characteristics (such as the degree of social liberal, economic model, power structure).The means, causes, quantity and characteristic of suicide vary at different historical stages.

]]>Jul 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 6

Linda Elaine Vogt Turner

This article lifts up the Woman with the Alabaster Jar of Luke's Gospel, chapter 7. The Pharisee saw her as a sinner because according to Pharisaic laws she was. Jesus, the Teacher at the Pharisee's house agrees. He says the Woman has sinned much and is forgiven much. This paper explores the importance of forgiveness and the importance of showing hospitality, love, and justice to one's neighbour. Roman Catholic tradition used to conflate this woman with Mary Magdalene claiming that Mary Magdalene was the sinner forgiven for her great love for the Teacher. In recent years, many people have opposed Roman Catholic tradition because too many Christians were exploiting the image of Mary Magdalene in a negative way to gain power over women and people of other races and faiths. [1] Thus this article opposes both the modern and the old exploited views. It maintains that the Woman of Luke 7 is the bitterly treated woman of the Gospel who overcame and rose with the Teacher as the Christ. She earned the title "Mary" because of the way people bitterly treated her for "breaking" God's ancient Patriarchal law that scholars and priests were using to chastise and exclude women and their Gentile and Samaritan neighbours from the great banquet of life where God's Love and eco-justice is for all. She earned the title the "Magdalene" because she is a tower of strength and a great light, a burning torch that the Teacher speaks face to face with in the garden.

]]>Jun 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 6

Jean-Paul Close

From 2010 onwards the first phase of a unique project was initialized in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. It was initiated by the STIR Foundation after many years of trial and error to find a breakthrough into a new societal resonance that would place sustainable human progress at the center of governance and societal productivity. The type of societal resonance was coined "Sustainocracy", an alternative to the democracy that had developed into the destructive consumer capitalism of generalized greed. The ideology refers to the gigantic human issues we face in the world in terms of climate change, pollution, migrations, health hazards, destruction of natural resources, and the vulnerability of huge groups of our global population, due to lack of harmonization with each other or our natural environment. The local solutions of Sustainocracy have been developed around five key human values that have the required harmonizing effect. These values are food (including drinking water), health, safety, regional self- sufficiency and self- awareness, together accounting for the definition of sustainable human progress. In the philosophy of Sustainocracy the four key pillars of local society: government, citizens, entrepreneurial innovators and science, have to take co-responsibility around a predefined higher purpose, within the context of the definition of sustainable human progress. A territory and specific higher purpose was needed to translate the idealistic abstract drive into this first phase of practical deployment. The city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands accepted the invitation when the higher purpose of air quality, human health and regional dynamics was proposed. The human value driven, sustainocratic cooperation was named AiREAS. This article outlines the unique approach and results so far.

]]>Jun 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 6

Qahraman Abdullah Hameed

The rationale of this paper is to suggest that social communication has a positive influence on social life in terms of family, education and healthcare. In addition, the social network has become a basic need for many people in the world. The reason for this is that people contact one another as part of their social lives through the social network, while others carry on their businesses within the social network.

]]>Jun 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 6

Hossein Mirzaee Atiyeh Kamyabi Gol and Javad Yousofi Labani

Self-immolation, affected by various factors, is the most common way of committing suicide among Iranian women especially in the western areas of Iran. The present research addresses the phenomenon of self-immolation among women in the two towns of Salas babajani and Sarpol Zahab located in the Kermanshah province. We also shed light on the sociolinguistic features (such as cultural norms, cultural expectations, education, religion, etc.) of self-immolation attempt victims. The participants in the research were twenty women who were self-immolation survivors in urban and rural parts of the research area. Sampling is a purposive sampling and data collection continued until saturation point was reached. Data was collected through deep and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that most respondents belonged to the rural population (75%), were Hagh followers (50%), and were housewives (70%). Moreover, most participants had elementary level education (50%), poor economic conditions (50%), and were descendants of illiterate parents (70%). The mean age of those who attempted self-immolation was 25 years old. In addition, the average age difference with their husband was 14 years. In terms of marital status, 30% were married, 35% were single, and 35% were divorced. Most of the married and divorced women (46.15%), had no children, and had married without full consent. 80% of participants stated that they had a history of domestic violence, and 70% of respondents stated that they had a history of self-immolation in their relatives.

]]>Jun 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 6

Donald O. Wandere and Omar B. Egesah

This paper is based on a comparative study between Abanyole of Western Kenya who dwell in the indigenous setting of Luanda Division of Emuhaya District, and those, who due to a number of factors, emigrated to a settlement scheme in Lugari Division of Lugari District. In the study, fieldwork, which involved a triangulated data collecting strategy, was carried out. The methods used in data collection included participant observation, key informant interviews, focused group discussions and questionnaires. This article discusses the political, social, and economic dynamics behind the emigration of Abanyole to the settlement schemes, Lugari in particular. It also examines the metamorphosis of the settlement scheme lands; from the initial expansive nature, to the current fragmented forms. In the final analysis, the paper looks at the emigrants' physical as well as the cultural adaptations to the new environment, and the latter's influences on the subsistence and socio-cultural lives of the said group. The study found out that the new social environment in Lugari – characteristically, a cultural melting pot – has greatly impinged on the core values, ethos and vernacular of the Abanyole emigrants.

]]>Jun 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 6

Emanuele Castrucci

The essay discusses Habermas' defense of cosmopolitic rights. Using Carl Schmitt's categories and the principle of political realism, the author shows the limits of Habermas' idea of human rights as legal rights and not simply as moral rights. The impossibility for Habermas to find a solution to the difficult relationship between moral and legal dimensions of human rights proves that the theory of human rights is a mere ideology.

]]>Jun 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 5

Peter Onyango Onyoyo

This researched paper is an exposure of key legal challenges facing the international criminal justice framework and its effectiveness in the 21st Century. The Arab-Israeli war, Israel Palestinian War, Israel-Hamas War, Israel versus Islam nations in the Middle East, have been historical events whose legal solution appear always to be dwindling with time. It is in the interest of the author to open up some of the critical problematic questions under discussion by international lawyers and diplomats about the atrocities going on in the Middle East region and especially in Palestine and Israel. However, the article does not give an illusion of an immediate legal solution to the problem that has been affecting many civilians, civilian populations with their objects being destroyed with impunity. It is noted that the hostilities taking place in the Gaza Strip and the entire region present a very delicate situation in the development of international criminal justice system. It is in the interest of the article to provide points for intellectual considerations before making conclusions. You can download the entire research.

]]>May 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 5

Cheng Hong Yau

This essay will focus on the development and significance of Zen Buddhism and emergence of Zen garden architecture in Japan. In order to understand Zen Buddhism, which is a particular branch of Buddhism, this essay will provide a brief introduction to the religion of Buddhism on its origins and different movements that lead to the development of many branches of this religion worldwide at the beginning of the essay. The understanding of Buddha nature is also an essential part of learning the fundamental elements that made the religion into its shape and form today, which I will discuss deeply in the second part of my essay by using different Japanese Zen gardens as example.

]]>May 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 5

Sijia Xue

The current study aimed to examine the language learning strategy use of Chinese EFL students in a British university and to explore the impacts of gender on the selection of these strategies. 102 postgraduate students from Newcastle University in the UK were investigated through the administration of Oxford's (1989) SILL and 20 of them were also interviewed. Significant differences were discovered in the use of language learning strategies between genders with females reporting more use in cognitive, metacognitive and social strategies. Pedagogical implications for language learning strategy instruction have been suggested in order to help improve the language learning performance of Chinese EFL students.

]]>May 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 5

Shaul Bartal

This article shows the connections between three subjects --the "Arab Spring", Yusūf al-Qaraḍāwī and Hamās and their war against Israel. The recent upheavals in the Arab world commonly referred to as the "Arab Spring" have elicited reactions on the part of various Islamic figures. The most important of these is Sheikh Yusūf al-Qaraḍāwī, the leading Islamic scholar and the spiritual leader of Hamās. Al-Qaraḍāwī supports the revolutions and regime changes by the Muslim Brotherhood. He bases his views upon the teachings of Sayyid Quṭb, the paradigm of Takfīr. According to Sayyid Quṭb, societies that don't behave according to Islam are infidel societies. This includes secular rulers like Ḥusnī Mubrak and Muʿammar al-Qadhāfī. Therefore, they must be replaced by a truly Islamic society. According to al-Qaraḍāwī , the Arab Spring period is the for that type of replacement. Hamās, as presented by Khālid Abū Arfa and others, is the organization that should benefit from the Arab Spring revolutions. The Islamic revolutions and the new Islamic regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and others can help Hamās in the way of jihād against Israel. The Pan Islamism of the Muslim Brotherhood could be also harbinger of the state of Israel.

]]>May 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 4

Miruka Philip Nathan Joshua and Jack Obongo

Widow Care plays a central role in the luo culture, this is because marriage was treated with a lot of respect and therefore whenever one's spouse died then the cultural norms and procedures of widow care was launched. If the woman whose husband has died was married legally according to the Luo Cultural norms whereby the bride- price was paid to her parents then, she is accepted within the family of the deceased husband and if she was not, then she might be forced to return to her parent's home. Some of these cultural norms have been misused in the past years whereby the context of widow care has been misunderstood. In several occasions widows have been exploited and their lives threatened by deadly diseases such as HIV infections in the name of Widow Care. Wife Inheritance which was a custom practiced by the luo people of western Kenya in the name of widow care dictates that if a man dies, one of his brothers or close relatives inherits his widow and must meet all of her marital requirements. It is for these reasons why the study was conducted to help bring proper understanding of Widow Care among the luo people. Widows are also confronted with various challenges which include: Burden of raising their children, economic exploitation, and denial of rights to remarry men of their choice, fear of excommunication and lack of mutual respect. The study conducted among the evangelical five churches and its environs in central lake region-Kisumu County which revealed that many Luo Widows are still in a state of dilemma as to whether to continue with the traditional practice of widow Care or to abandon it completely. The bible clearly outlines how widow Care should be practiced.

]]>Apr 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 4

Jana Goriup Branka Cagran Katja Krošl and Matjaz Mulej

The article reports on investigation about older people's loneliness, the reasons for it, and its consequences. The detected theoretical findings triggered the authors' empirical study in Slovenia as a society in transition from the preindustrial village solidarity into the modern market individualism. In the empirical part, some aspects of the life of older people regarding their residences were compared: among older people living with their relatives, alone, with a partner, or in a retirement home, with special regard to the reasons/causes for residence, and the feeling of loneliness and contacts with relatives. The obtained empirical results showed that older people living alone or in a retirement home are feeling lonelier than those living with relatives or with a partner. They grew up in a period in which the village solidarity society was changing to the industrialized society and, in the recent 25 years, to a capitalistic individualistic market society. Their feelings may have been adapted to these crucial changes, or less so.

]]>Apr 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 4

Hlako Jacob Choma and Mahodiela Rodney Ramafalo

The paper acknowledges the meticulous work done by the researcher, Peter Ramphabana an LLB graduate from the University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus). The purpose of the Social Plan Guidelines is to manage large-scale retrenchment and its effect on employees. The research findings identified various challenges that inhibit the effective management of retrenchments. These challenges were analysed and interpreted and a new model to effectively manage retrenchment was developed. The new model suggests that the employment relations management and corporate social investment of an organisation are utilised as vehicle to manage retrenchment effectively.

]]>Apr 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 4

Isahaque Ali Muhammad Shariful Islam and Zulkarnain A. Hatta

The primary objective of this study was to examine the role of microfinance programs in poverty reduction among the poor women in Bogra District. The study was based on data collected from a total of 400 microfinance beneficiaries, which was recruited using a simple random sampling in the year 2011. The study findings suggested that there was no significant relationship of microfinance on specific variables such as household income, education opportunities, employment, health, nutrition, sanitations facilities and women`s empowerment in the district of Bogra. Only housing status of microfinance beneficiaries had improved during their membership periods. This study proposed a poverty reduction model that includes various aspects including political and social policy reformulations; natural disaster management; employment opportunities; financial assistances; zakat and social safety nets; proper healthcare for the poor; education and knowledge institutions; technical or skills development training; vocational education; development infrastructure and shelter; women`s empowerment and capacity building; as well as women`s human rights and social justice in order to be more effective in understanding and finding solutions to mitigate poverty in general.

]]>Apr 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 4

Maria Ferancova-(Marina Carnogurská)

Although Christianity remains even today the major ideological backbone of our Western civilization with its common belief that the Nature on Earth is only a terrestrial environment given to us by a transcendent God-Creator for our everyday use and living needs, other world civilizations (especially the Chinese, which has managed to define and record its original world-view heritage already 3,000 years ago) offer to us some different explanations and viewpoints. Thus in Chinese philosophical heritage we can learn from Laozi´s ontological teaching that the Universe (or Multiverse) was not created by any transcendent God from an absolute vacuum (or "Nothing"), as in ancient Chinese original worldview there never existed any absolute vacuum (or a real "Nothing"). In Laozi´s as well as the primeval Chinese interpretations, the Universe has not originated from a singularity set by a transcendent God from within an absolute vacuum, where by his divine intervention he subsequently created its consequential multi-variety, but in accordance with Laozi´s ontological theory Universe (or Multiverse) was and is forever because of its basic substrate of yin-yang Energy (De), which is moveable thanks to its bipolar positively-negatively everlastingly polarized medium. Thanks to it, the Universe (or Multiverse) was and will be forever in its interchangeable dialectical movements continually creating by its multidimensional tensions a wonderful variability of its opposites. In our three-dimensional time-space (which is with our whole Cosmos an inner subset of it, too), the "metaphysical" and "physical", "spiritual" and "material" also are in every case only yin-yang (negatively-positively) interchangeable cyclical and transitional states and the reactions, creations and extinctions of its infinitely and eternally never-ending Unity, which can never be a static singularity! In such conditions also our Earth and the Human world (as one of the inner parts of Universe) ought to live in accordance with these natural laws of the basic Energy (De), and everything here is "governed" (according to Laozi´s metaphysical interpretation) by its anonymous inner powers, and thus not by any subjective First Mover (or in our sense a God). Therefore, also our Human race is obliged to live and behave in a harmonious coordination with natural principles and regularity, common to this whole anonymous process of transformations in the endless circulation of Universe (or Multiverse).

]]>Apr 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 3

David Makofsky

The dynamics of change in the Muslim world continue to be felt throughout Asia. This study presents the choices and challenges of the Uyghur community, which is in the Turkic Muslim area of Western China. There is enormous interest exhibited by contemporary social theorists and anthropologists (Shiner, Bourdieu) in the impact of the artist in shaping and being shaped by the 'culture' of the viewer. This impact deals with 'modernity and social change' as it is now occurring in Uyghur and Muslim society. A sample of Uyghur students discusses paintings by well-known contemporary Uyghur artists. There are also interviews with Uyghur faculty, artists, and editors, and interviews taken from Uyghur arts magazines. This discussion illustrates some of the critical issues facing Muslims in Central Asia. Typically, Uyghur 'national intellectual' leadership in the post-liberation period in China (1949-2010) was secularist and Muslim. The cultural changes that are part of the ‘awakening’ in Muslim Asia has challenged assumptions in contemporary cultural life, and produced some new explorations in both art and culture.

]]>Mar 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 3

Ashley Needham

Haiti was the only European colony to successfully execute a slave-led rebellion. This paper aims to demonstrate the strength of the Haitian people and the maneuverability to use colonialism against colonists. This goal of this paper is to provide evidence to demonstrate the impact that creolization had on the Caribbean, in that, out of colonialism came a unique and unprecedented culture and that the very goal of colonialism, to subjugate Africans in order to leverage the European economy, would be the reason for the downfall of the colonialist project in Haiti. Through document analysis, literature review, and examining relevant data, this paper demonstrates the ability of materialism to revolt against colonialism, the use of creativity as a demonstration of agency, the connection between linguistic history and emancipation, and finally that creolization was a vehicle for the independence and freedom of the new Haitian people.

Ziwiye hoard has been the subject of many studies since its discovery in 1947 because of its remarkable works of art of various styles. Among these objects there are some metal plates, mainly made of gold. With some considerations, these plates could be attributed as belt fragments. Present study is on four fragmented belts of this group, including three gold belts and one bronze belt. The results show that along with their identical characteristics such as their rectangular forms and perforated borders, we can distinguish a variety of figurative styles on them executed either in repoussé or chased techniques. Base on the scenes depicted on these belts and their iconographical features, they could be studied in three groups: the first group, which chronologically stands earliest, is composed of the belts with scenes depicting ritual ceremonies composed of team or group of offering bearers. This group’s ichnographical characteristics represent local Iranian features; the second, with the frieze of long passant animals (horned bulls) has distinctive ichnographical difference among the Ziwiye belts, these features recall figures (horned bulls) decorating Urartian bronze armors; the last group with animal figures represented with in a network pattern are the best example of mixture of Scythian and western Asiatic elements found in Ziwiye.

]]>Mar 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 3

Nur Mohammad Majumder Lye Tuck Po and Sanjay Krishno Biswas

The Lyngam community is living over a hundred years as a distinct ethnic group maintaining racial and cultural identity at Kalmakanda Upazila of Netrokona district in Bangladesh. Generally, mainstream people are not aware of their culture. Yet the scholars and researchers did not study on their origin, history, and culture. A few anthropologists, sociologists and linguists examined the Lyngams culture and trend of cultural dynamics as part of Khasi and Garo (dominant tribes). This paper attempts to understand and describe how the way of life and culture of Lyngam is constructed to the context of self-image and other communities with Christianization. To explore the Lyngams’ cultural traits, attributes, and existing trend, an ethnographic approach round a year and an in-depth interview method are employed here. These methods along with secondary information reveal that the Lyngams’ way of life and cultural dynamics are the amalgamation of Khasi and Garo culture. The intermingled product of Khasi and Garo culture is treated as a separate ethnic group that could be considered as the Lyngam community.

]]>Mar 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 3

Neaz Ahmed and Abul Kashem

This paper focuses on socio-cultural context of dowry practice in Sylhet city of Bangladesh. By using qualitative methods twenty one dowry victims were selected purposively from three prominent organizations working with victims of dowry. In-depth interview schedule was used as a tool of data collection. Dowry is one of the most common forms of gender based discrimination in Bangladesh. Every year thousands of women used to face serious social, psychological and physical torture due to dowry related dispute. Even though they become the victim of acid violence; sometime some are killed by their husband and their in-laws. But practice of dowry is not similar in all the region of the country due to social, economic and cultural conditions. People are very likely to see it as a custom rather than an offence. Due to fear of losing social status, ignorance, improper or no idea about legal procedure and conservative social attitude they are less interested in seeking legal steps against their husbands and in-laws.

]]>Mar 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 3

Saqib Jawad

Although roots of criminal prosecutions are traced back in the 17th and 18th century but newly emerged discipline of international law namely international criminal law gained its scope after adoption Rome Statute. However, statute has not yet been universally accepted and various discrepancies have been raised by various states regarding the Jurisdiction and applicable procedure of International Criminal Court (ICC). Prior to the establishment of ICC, initially various international tribunals were established for the prosecutions of perpetrators of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression, particularly after World War II. However, the prosecutions were subjected to serious criticism not only by the states representing the accused persons rather by the prosecuting states as well, on the grounds that all the prosecutions were partial in nature and even the same crimes were committed by the prosecution states but not a single individual was subjected to prosecutions from within the prosecuting states. Thereafter, instances have been reported of individual prosecutions till two decades back when again certain individuals including the heads of states were prosecuted for their alleged crimes, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. All these events and previous prosecutions resulted in establishment of ICC, but the statute has not yet been ratified by most of the states on a number of reasons and the most relevant of them is the jurisdiction of the court. Although, all the concepts and types of jurisdiction are not controversial but most of the concerns have been shown regarding the universal jurisdiction of ICC, and all the related concepts which provide the action of a state outside the jurisdiction of a states.

]]>Mar 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 3

Maisoun Ali N Alfayiz

This study aimed at identifying the extent of the prevalence of Economic exploitation of the Saudi woman and revealing the level of the financial exploitation which the working women face. The study also aimed at identifying types of the Saudi woman’s economic exploitation and the reasons that lead for the economic exploitation. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher applied the social survey approach. The population of the study which consisted of all working women in the administrative field at Princesses Nora University was 2897 female employees and sample consisted of 200 working women were selected according to stratified random sampling method. Results showed that most working women who were exposed economic exploitation were married and they all hold bachelor degree. The results also showed that the husband was the one who exploited strongly the woman and the most significant ways of exploitation were to make the woman the responsible for children’s expenses and stinginess of family expenses although of his financial capability .Moreover, the weakness of woman personality was considered one of the reasons that led to exploitation.

]]>Mar 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 3

Rudolf T. Vecaldo Romeo C. Clemente and Agustin Y. Tamangen

Bodong, a peace pact, evolves from the customs and traditions of the Kalingas. It discloses indigenous people’s cultural identity, heritage and integrity that were painstakingly developed with the passing of the time. This study investigated the effectiveness of bodong as an alternative dispute resolution that reflects the peace framework of the community in dealing with crimes and tribal-related offenses in the province of Kalinga, Philippines. With 305 respondents composed of local officials, court employees, law enforcers and tribal leaders, findings significantly confirm bodong as an effective system of enforcing peace because it does not in a way oppose to the realms of existing laws. Thus, for bodong system to sustainably advance social security and economic stability of culturally diverse tribes, key stakeholders should constitute bolder steps in coming up with success indicators on the intensive education campaign regarding the provisions of pagta not only to binodngans but also to non-binodngans.

]]>Mar 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 2

Archana Barua

“The sheer proliferation of definitions of sustainable development is evidence of its contestability; For example, in Blueprint for a Green Economy, David Pearce, Anil Markandya and Edward Barbier (1989, pp.173-85) provide a 'gallery' of over 40 definitions.”1For the scope of this article ,I will begin with the most widely used definition, taken from the Brundtland Report, that ‘sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' (WCED, 1987).2While the concept of needs demands that 'overriding priority' should be given to the essential needs of the world's poor, both North and South, poverty and the unequal distribution of resources are identified as major causes of environmental degradation: 'Sustainable development requires meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a better life' (WCED, 1987, p. 44).3

]]>Feb 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 2

Yanxia Zhao

In the popularly understood sense, the concept of charity relates to an action of helping people who are in a poor or a sick situation, normally through the means of giving money or gifts. The concept was not limited in this way at its origin, however. More importantly, the concept has widened and developed to carry additional layers of meaning in recent years. This widening and developing can be seen from documents defining the term ‘charity' that are being produced by differing countries and nations. A detailed list of charitable purposes (as defined in legal terms by the UK government under the Charities Act 2011) is particularly useful in this regard. It is within these newly developed layers of meaning that Daoism has a strong role to play in charitable works, as a religion with a spirit of charity and heart of compassion. The issue then is how to apply this charitable spirit and compassionate heart of Daoism to specific charitable actions in modern age.

]]>Feb 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 2

Seyed Mohsen Mirhosseini and Elham Rasoulisaniabadi

Security of the Persian Gulf region has been confronted many challenges during the history because of the geopolitical and geo-economical role of this region for western countries and superpowers especially after the occurrence of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. Objective of this paper is to discus and evaluate the challenges of the regional security arrangements by the US in the Persian Gulf. In this regard, Buzan's theory (Regional security complexes) is applied to undertake the reasons of insecurity in this region. Data are collected from articles, books and journals based on qualitative method. The main finding of the paper expresses that according on buzan's theory rivalries of local states in the region has caused the penetration of the external powers such as United States.

]]>Feb 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 2

Saqib Jawad

Every human being is held entitled for human rights on the basis of simple characteristic of human being, and the same concept has also been recognized under the framework of international law in the shape of major human rights law instruments. Some of the human rights are even inalienable and non-derogable even in cases when some of them can be derogated under the need of the time. Terrorism being a great threat and violation of human rights is not disputed but protection of these rights during counter terrorism operations is also most relevant and requires discussion, because various abuses have been reported in the recent history regarding the violations of human rights during the conduct of counter terrorism operations and abuse of process on the pretext of counter terrorism measures. It has also been observed by the international bodies and organizations that the violations committed during counter terrorism operations are as much serious in nature as the acts of terrorism themselves and make no difference between the acts of terrorists and those who claim to be acting against them for elimination of the same. Some of the main reasons behind the violations of human rights are that the definition of terrorism itself has not been agreed upon among the states of the World claiming to be the eliminators of terrorism, and the same is due to the personal interests of the states and particularly the powerful states, because terrorists of one state or nation may be the heroes and freedom fighters of the other, and the freedom fighters of one may be the terrorists for the other one. On the basis of this reason, most of the times powerful states succeed to get control over the insurgents and use their own measures and parameters for the use of force, collateral damage, and principles of necessity which cause apprehension for the violations of human rights.

]]>Feb 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 2

Mekuanint Tesfaw

The insufficiently studied issues of women in the Shimglna in Meket District of North Wollo Zone of Amhara National Regional state were the centre of the study. A qualitative approach with its data collection techniques (FGD, interview and observation) used. The Study found that women involve in marital conflicts and other conflicts. In search of solutions, the Shimglna plays vibrant roles. In the process, in some areas of the district, women participate as plaintiffs, defendants and rarely as mediators. However, in other areas of the district, the participation of women is limited, and there are still women whose participation is through their male relatives. While the participation of women in the Shimglna is low, conflicts involving women are addressed in equal basis with men. On the other hand, women's low turnout in the Shimglna has indirect adverse effects on the resolution processes of conflicts involving them. However, the belief of the society in which women are considered inferior and men are superior is not yet fully resolved. Moreover, the paradox between the legal jurisdiction of the Shimglna to address only family and personal matters restricts the scope of the Shimglna.

]]>Feb 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 2

Md. Abul Kalam Azad and Mohammed Moniruzzaman Khan

Bangladesh is experiencing with frequent natural disasters due to her unique geographical characteristics. In this regard the aim of the study is to examine how a natural catastrophe creates social pathologies or social crises in the society and to identify the major causes of social pathology by employing qualitative and quantitative approach. Although there is no concrete definition of social pathology, it can be defined as disruptions in normal social life and social chaos that replaces social order. Multiple socio-economic factors i. e. prevalence of saline water, fewer job opportunities, lack of education, migration of male member, are responsible for social diseases or social pathologies such as crime, poverty, corruption, unemployment, sex crime and gender based violence. Artificial saline water intrusion by political elites and losses of economic productivity are the basic reasons for creating social anomies or disorders in coastal Bangladesh. Thus, the people living in coastal areas are experiencing several problems including physical illness, health problem, food crisis, and breaking down the family life where women and children are subjects in most inhuman situation and they are becoming more vulnerable. Balanced social structure through establishing comprehensive sectoral development and risk reduction process could manage minimum life sustaining requirements of the poor and disadvantaged people which it also could ensure social harmony and solidarity in post disaster period.

]]>Feb 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 2

Md. Milan Hossain

Pre-emption is a prior right of a co-sharer of a land either by purchase or by inheritance, owner of adjoining property or neighbor of a land. When a piece of land is sold to a third party without acknowledging such owners of land, the question of right of pre-emption arises, i.e., the co-sharer of land is first entitled to purchase the land and claim the ownership. If he waves his right by consent either expressly or impliedly, a third party or a stranger can purchase it. In Bangladesh there are three legal approaches as regards pre-emption- (i) Muslim Law Approach, (ii) State Acquisition & Tenancy Act, 1950 Approach and (iii) Non-agricultural Tenancy Act, 1949 Approach. This paper will focus on pre-emption under Muslim law and statutory laws in Bangladesh and make a comparative study. It will analyze present situation or approach of pre-emption in Bangladesh and determine the drawbacks of the existing statutory law and problems in case of application of pre-emption, and give way of solution.

This paper elaborates the life of Mr. Naseem Hijazi an uncelebrated hero of the Pakistan Movement. The major purpose of this paper is to high light the hidden aspects about the life of Mr. Naseem Hijazi. He was not only a great writer, Novelist but he was also a freedom fighter. He contributed in Pakistan Movement, about this aspect of his life very few peoples know. He was not only a true Muslim but also a great follower of Islam. In this research paper, life of Naseem Hijazi is studied and analyzed to get a true picture about him.

]]>Feb 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 1

Prerna Sharma

Disability is a complex, and dynamic phenomenon impacting lives of children afflicted with it, in numerous ways. Conventionally children with disability have been relegated to the margins, both within the child rights agenda and disability rights movement. Their dependence on parents for fulfillment of basic needs and human rights entitlements provides the basis for parents having to take on the responsibility to ensure the same. Parents can take action leading to fulfillment of entitlements based on their awareness of available information, services and facilities. The study aims to find out the level of parents awareness with respect to human rights entitlements of their children. It discusses the detailed methodology applied in this study for assessment of awareness levels of parents. This study lends itself to the use of a quantitative paradigm as the findings allow for generalization using a large sample size and the work pre supposes that parents' awareness of rights of Children with Disabilities is affected by (i) personal factors of Parent (i.e. age, sex, religion, educational attainment, occupation) (ii) socio-economic factors such as number of children and nature of family, family income, per capita income) and (iii) factors relating to child with disability (i.e. age, sex, type of disability, age at the onset of disability and birth order of child in the family). A decision tree method is used to establish the dominant factors from among the personal and socio-economic factors of respondent parents which impact the awareness level of parents of child with disability. From the decision tree method, it is established that parents' education attainment is the most dominant factor affecting their awareness levels. From the remaining factors, birth order of the child in the family, child's type of disability and number of children in the family are also dominant factors affecting awareness of respondent parent of rights of child with disability.

]]>Jan 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 1

Miruka Philip Aloo Mojola Nathan Joshua and Onginjo Mary

The number of women becoming widows has been increasing on daily basis due to the deaths of their husbands which are caused by various reasons such as HIV infections, accidents, old age and many others. After the death of their husbands, widows face challenges within the society and these affect their socio-economic development and spiritual growth in the society. However, despite these challenges facing widows, minimal efforts have been made by a number of churches today to care for widows. One of these churches is the Africa Inland church (AIC) in Kenya which was founded in 1895. The research therefore is an investigation of the practice of widow care in AIC Central lake Region. It also sought to investigate how the selected AIC churches are actively involved in the practice of widow care. The study revealed that the practice of widow care has not been fully implemented in the church. The reasons include; limited funds, administrative weakness, lack of visionary leaders and many others. The Bible absolutely supports widow care and so the church and the entire Christian fraternity are obliged to practice Widow Care in relation to the Biblical teachings.

]]>Jan 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 1

Hakimeh Bargahi and Mohammad Hossein Rezaei

Genaveh County is located on the NE coast of the Persian Gulf with an area of about 1837 Square kilometers, 165 kilometers Northwest of Bushehr. Our information about the prehistoric period of the coastal province of Bushehr is very limited. The few studies conducted in this area have not been systematic and have not pursued a specific goal. Only for the Paleolithic period has some research been done. Therefore, our systematic study in this region has attempted to identify the cultural status of this area. The Chahar Rustayi archaeological site (34°68′47′′N; 57°69′32′′E; 87-meter elevation) is located within 5 kilometers of the west bank of the Shoor River and 2 kilometers south of the village of Chahar Rustayi. Realizing the importance of the Chahar Rustayi site (Eman Zadeh Hill or Tepe Emam Zadeh) to the understanding of regional exchanges, and the utility of pottery in identifying prehistoric cultures, as well as the role of pottery shapes and designs in assigning the sequence of cultural eras, our goal was a thorough analysis of the cultural materials obtained in a methodical study of the site to clarify the cultural succession of the region. After mapping and 10 × 10 m2 gridding of the area, alternative sampling was performed on 50% of the squares (207 squares). Pottery and lithic material recovered during the surface survey showed that this site had been settled from the late Neolithic Period until the end of Chalcolithic Period.

]]>Jan 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 1

Recep Dogan

The purpose of this study is to closely examine the life and leadership skills of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in order to discover conflict resolution strategies adopted by the leading figure of Islam and evaluate those lessons to ascertain possible solutions to the contemporary global problems and challenges across the globe. Understanding is the catalyst for peace. This paper also aims to contribute to world peace and interfaith dialogue albeit its limited capacity in scope through the illustration of the exemplary character of this well-known persona who is not otherwise very well understood in largely the non-Muslim world but also within the Muslim world. Particular attention is paid to the identification of key attributes of a successful leader in the light of Muhammad (pbuh)'s success. A cross-examination of the evidence available to us, it is strongly noteworthy that Muhammad (pbuh) showed great respect for other faiths, cultures and ideas; even when he did not agree on certain matters, he listened and engaged with tolerance and sensitive care. His service of what he ardently believed to be the truth and his style and approach in dealing with would oppose those beliefs provides an acute insight on the character of this leading figure of Islam whose success in overcoming almost impossible barriers and conflicts at many layers of society becomes a strong case-study for modeling conflict resolutions beyond its theoretical frameworks and examine this applied science in the art of leadership and peace building. This paper would then conclude that one of the greatest legacies of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the essential appreciation of the dignity of all living beings irrespective of their gender, race or societal status; with Muhammad's followers from diverse socio-cultural and socio-lingual backgrounds, ethnicities, civilizational development – this essential attribute becomes noteworthy to examine closely the veracity of his appreciation, respect and dignity afforded to all.

]]>Jan 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 1

A.B.M Enamol Hassan

As the non-profit sector of a country, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) are truly vital cog in the paradigm of social development in Bangladesh. It is generalized that Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and NGOs have created jointly a new era of partnership in poverty alleviation activities, gender sensitive issues, education, health and been giving competent sustainability in the socio-economic conditions of Bangladesh. Since the NGOs are aimed to spreading awareness in people, strengthening and institutionalization of democracy promotion as well as ensuring maximum people participation in community- driven development approach. Therefore, the paper reviews these developmental phenomena launched by local and international NGOs in the context of Bangladesh especially in the field of education, health, environment, micro-finance, good governance, democracy and social justice etc. It investigates their contribution and present status along with necessary critical evaluations as well as factors that sometimes underestimate of NGOs' existence. The paper is designed with a theoretical conception of development contributed by NGOs along with its location in civil society and is fully literature-based that data and information have been accumulated from books, journals and electronic media as well. As the finding it has been seen that the sector is working for ensuring socio-economic development of poor and hard core poor people those are treated as the very negligible and marginalized by other two sectors i.e state and business working with political implications and profit maximization respectively whereas NGOs do for poors in assurance of financial solvence, basic education, nutritional status, participation in decision making for women both inside and outside of family and good governance etc. After all their activities are on the ground of no generation of profit.

]]>Jan 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 1

Li-Shu Lu and Yu-Fan Ho

Experience ecotourism particularly could encourage active ageing groups with sensory experience, and easily help them reciprocally interact. This study invited four active aging persons and two professional tour-guiding staff to conduct "walk aloud" and "walk through" interviews in an ecological tourism destination "Taiwan Nantou Sun Link Sea Forest Recreation Area" suitable for the elderly's tourism according to the results of the first phase so as to further extract the problems and demands that the elderly face in ecotourism. The results show that: The factors forming the active aging groups' eco-tourism travel experience, including the external environment, physiological and psychological factors. However, to enhance the positive experience of the active aging groups' ecotourism when both physiological and environmental factors meet the conditions, external situation involvement is an important medium to enhance the elderly's satisfaction, including both emotion and story. The emotion part contains the experience of five senses, accompanying emotion and nostalgia experience; while the story part includes daily life stories, new knowledge obtaining and sharing mechanism. This study suggests that the results obtained from the above can be applied to shape the scenario design of future ecotourism field to help develop services and related technology products in order to enhance the elderly's joy and experience in ecotourism.

]]>Jan 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 1

Mellitus Wanyama and Omar Egesah

In societies where male circumcision is practiced in Eastern and Southern Africa, circumcision is considered as a rite of passage into manhood, Columbia Encyclopaedia[1]. In Sub-Saharan Africa, about two-thirds of men circumcise, while in Kenya male circumcision is practiced by many communities including 84% of Kenyan men, G.O.K Kenya[2]. Among Babukusu of western Kenya, traditional male circumcision entails three stages: preparation to circumcise, the actual circumcision and post-circumcision rites. These stages are engrossed by elaborate detail of ritual and ceremony that is laden with messaging, symbolism and rationale especially through music. Inevitable gradual changes in the form, content, practice and performance of Babukusu male circumcision have emasculated the erstwhile structural and functional features of the practice. It is arguable that currently its function hardly goes beyond a mark of cultural identity, Wanyama[3]. However, most messages expressed, especially in the music performed in the ceremony and the initiation package, are still relevant in modern times because themes therein are current and topical, for instance: sensitization on HIV and AIDS, and perpetuation of morals (ibid). This paper explains by means of detailed ethnography and ethno-music the significance of messages communicated during Babukusu male circumcision practice. Two questions answered by this paper are: What is the message passed through ethnographic initiation rites and through music and performance? Why are initiation and music messages that epitomize Babukusu male circumcision such important to the practice and life of Babukusu as a community? The paper assumes that the male circumcision practice of Babukusu is an avenue for moralistic and life messaging not to the initiate alone but to the wider community. This messaging is communicated through two channels, first through the initiation packages passed to the boy and two through music that characteristically embodies the importance of male circumcision from its mythical origin. In this study, data is derived from two sources; first from ethnography of Babukusu male circumcision and second from circumcision ethno-music. Both sources of data provide a fusion of qualitative information that forms the basis of arguing this paper. At each of the three phases that mark Babukusu male circumcision, ethnography and ethno-music carry symbolic messages that initiate the boy into adulthood and also that concern and inform the community about topical issues that affect the group and the rest of the world. They also convey important life messages about Babukusu and their values, morals, beliefs and lifestyles. The significance and importance of this traditional rite is captured through this rich ethnography and ethno-music and to understand the importance of the practice, we explore overt and covert symbolic meanings in circumcision messages.

]]>Jan 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 3 Number 1

Peter Onyango O.

The Republic of Kenya is one of the youngest African States emerging from British Colonial power since 1963. Since then it has been caught up in series of terrorist attacks claiming damages and harms to civilians. As the State tends to comply with its international law obligations a number of issues are being raised especially from human rights law whether the government has acted within the law and in good faith. This research investigates the legality of terrorism and counter reactions emerging from the State authority.

]]>Jan 2015Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 7

Subair Abdullah

This study is a vulnerability and at the same time resilience study using qualitative method. The study aims to identify the locality of the climate change phenomenon, analyze vulnerability and appraise community resilience. The method used is the ‘historical case method', a study method combining the historical-sociological method (structural history) and sociological history (process history), a qualitative method under the umbrella of the constructivism paradigm. The study results in several findings. Climate change significantly has caused resilience in communities that depend on natural resources. Vulnerability triggered by the negative impact of climate change can be reduced by adaptation so the community will be resilient even with limited resilience due to the high dependency on natural resources. The most important factor in creating community resilience is local institutions' role that facilitates the adaptation. The success of climate change adaptation is determined by the existence and functionality of these local institutions. The stronger and rooted the local institutions the bigger the opportunity for success for the community in adapting to climate change. On a contrary, the weaker and "isolated" the local institutions, the less opportunity for success.

]]>Nov 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 7

Peter Onyango O

The attempt to revive African customary law has been persistent throughout the history of legal education in Kenya. Today more than ever before the country shall have to reconsider the role and importance of re-studying customary land tenure practised by the Kenyan people in order to strike proper balance of rights in land law in force. The research examines the balance of several interest groups and regulatory systems that confer rights to individuals and groups. The main concern of the research is about the deployed systems that have failed to quell conflicts, violence, crimes and injustices, related to land tenure and its inequitable redistribution to individuals and communities. The work seeks to provide clue to legal lacunae existing in the Kenyan land regime. As most of the problems facing land law are premised on the mechanisms, structures and policies adopted by the Government to put records straight, restore law, and order, the study investigates the effectiveness of such balancing criteria.

]]>Nov 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 7

N.Dasharath

Women in the world are the symbol of honesty, hard work and innocent. Though number of initiatives is taken for the empowerment of women, including the women with disabilities across jurisdictions but then, the author of this article feels that more attention is required by governments towards the improvement in the sphere of employment for the women with disabilities by treating them equally when compared to their male counterpart. Number of regional and international covenants is in place for equality, equal opportunity and full participation of persons with disabilities throughout the globe. One of the significant contributions of United Nations Organization is by way of adapting United Nations Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights of Disabled Persons (UNCRPD) 2008. The concept of reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities is incorporated in the aforementioned international convention. This is one way of bringing the persons with disabilities in general and women with disabilities in particular into the main stream of life. Yet another significant development in evolving jurisprudence for persons with disabilities is by way of formulating Incheon Strategy (South Korea) to make the real right for persons with disabilities in the year 2012. The said strategy promotes for development policies and programmes are disability-inclusive and gender-sensitive and harness the potential of combining universal design with technological advancements for enabling persons with disabilities to fulfill their rights.

]]>Nov 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 7

Shyama Jinasena

In the 21st century internet spread all over the world without limitations and challenges to the world community as every person is connected with globally & made strong community affairs. Social media network with sharing peoples' activities as photographs, videos or their status. In Sri lanka, most of the people join with face book as a social media network to search their old friends or keep in touch with new communities. According to human beings such activities are common, but there are disadvantages such as women using fb to fulfill their emptiness in their lives. As a woman she expects lots of things such as love, security & caring etc. They expect such things from their families and their husbands. But they do not get that satisfaction even from both as they wish. In that situation whoever they meet in their lives they believe them and treat very high thinking that this is the ultimate in their lives. Fb is a new introduction where god comes to their lives as love. Most love affairs are unbelievable, as boys start love affairs to spend their idle time with the playful memorable moments. The end of such girls' love affairs is the boys vanishing with unpredictable social affairs such as depression ect. A case study comprising a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods were carried out to establish the facts. As tools of this research interviews, questionnaires and observations were too used as online researches to determine the youth depression as an impact of face book in Sri lanka.

]]>Nov 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 7

Ugwuegede Patience Nwabunkeonye

Poor participation of women in politics and governance has been a major concern at global level. In Nigeria, women participation in politics is not proportionate to the 50% of the nation's population which they represent and has not translated into equal representation in political leadership positions. The global issue of goal 3 (to promote gender equality and empower women) of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other international clarion calls for bridging the gap created by long-term discriminations against women and making women visible in politics made Nigeria to recognize women in the political sphere, and include them in both appointive and elective positions. Yet, there persists poor participation of women in politics and the number of women in political positions in Nigeria is growing at a slow rate despite efforts to change such trend. Based on secondary sources of information, this paper, examined the challenges Nigerian women still face in active participation in politics such as discriminatory socio-cultural and religious practices; lack of finance; under-representation of women in governance; unhealthy political environment; political party discrimination; wrong perception of women in politics; lack of family, fellow women and media support; indigenization of women political aspirants; among others. This paper recommended measures to guarantee women active participation in politics in Nigeria such as review of discriminatory practices; economic empowerment; support from family, fellow women and media; equal representation in governance; healthy political environment; proper perception of women in politics, among others.

]]>Nov 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 7

Egesah O. B. Wanyama M. and V. Muange

Male circumcision is a common practice in many cultures. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is practiced as a rite of passage performed around adolescence. In clinical settings, it is normally done as a quick outpatient procedure using local anaesthesia (USAID 2003). Despite some controversy, circumcision has been widely practiced in modern times and in most parts of Africa, Asia, Europe and America (Columbia Encyclopaedia 2004). In Sub-Saharan Africa, about two-thirds of men circumcise, while in Kenya male circumcision is practiced by over 80% of men including young Babukusu men in Western Kenya where this study was conducted (M.O.H Kenya 2007). This paper explores the significance of male circumcision and its redefinition in modern times positing that Babukusu have practiced male circumcision over time because its significances withstand modernity influences. The objective of the paper is to describe the relevance and significance this intangible cultural heritage plays in initiating Babukusu young men into adulthood despite challenges of modernity. The authors posit that the institution of male circumcision is highly regarded amongst Babukusu because it is stalked in initiating young males into adulthood, reason why it is practiced to date. What is the significance of male circumcision as its practice transforms from traditional to modern? A triangulated source of data was utilized from in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and semi structured questionnaire with Babukusu parents and boys before and soon after circumcisions. Both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained and analysed complementarily to provide the results of this study. The paper reports the ubiquity and significance of Babukusu male circumcision in initiating young boys into adulthood regardless of whether the process is traditional or clinical. In addition, it argues that modernity depicted by education, cost, health and religiosity do not vary the plethora of functions and importances assigned to male circumcision, but they influence shift in its practice from traditional to clinical processes. We conclude that male circumcision among Babukusu is an important, relevant and significant institution and we recommend cogent synergy between its traditional roles and modern influences.

]]>Nov 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 7

Jeffrey Sehume

The paper makes a case for the conclusions that 1. Race as practice continues to define ‘post-race' 21st South Africa. This is because race acts like an organism more than a system (structures, institutions, constitutions) in being malleable to exploitation based on machinations of political/economic/social power; 2. The reality of material conditions arguably determines the reconstitutional potential of race and racism; 3. An inability to address objective conditions has potential to upset projects of social cohesion and nation-building. The conceptual ideas guiding this paper come from Neville Alexander and Ambilavaner Sivanandan in ‘Race, Caste and Class in South Africa'.

]]>Nov 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 7

Saira Batool Saif–ur-Rehman Saif Abbasi and Adeela Rehman

Higher education has two-fold mission. First is to train people for practical and technical work. Second is to foster public engagement. Following this, universities are committed to educating professional for moral and societal responsibility. In 21st century University adopts a general mission of service to the public supported by new research discoveries. Globally, many national universities are now discovering that research based public service and outreach activities can improve society at local and regional levels. The quality of higher education around the world depends on quality of research produced by educational institutions. The recent development in quality of research frameworks developed by different researchers focused on evidence-based research. The current study was intended to explore quantitative growth and qualitative development of randomly selected social sciences disciplines in the recognized public sector universities of Pakistan located in Capital, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa and Balochistan during 2002-2009 regarding research publications by faculty members. From the universe of sixty eight, twenty universities were drawn through proportionate stratified random sampling from entire country, three universities from capital, six from Punjab, four, five and two from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa and Balochistan, respectively. From these selected universities 97 social sciences departments were randomly chosen for data collection. The current research study was conducted by using quantitative approach of social science research method and the data was collected through survey method. The unit of analysis was individuals (heads of the departments). Uni-variate analysis was implied to provide general description of various variables. The significant increase was seen in quantitative indicators such as departmental growth, degree programs offered, student's enrollment and passed out and number of faculty members. On the whole, data analysis explores that there is a tendency of improvement in all indicators of higher education in social sciences in Pakistan.

]]>Nov 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 6

Teelotma Ghoorah

There is growing recognition that we are actually reaching the tipping point where irreversible damage is going to be done on the world’s social fabric if we do not all together go towards an urgent call for action. This will be made possible if only a great political will exists to make the world a better place. Discussions revolving around maternal health, access to quality education, reproductive well being, access to basic needs should be taken on board. We need to empower our women, being the very essence of the private sphere so that they can fight to provide what matters to their children. Normally, the female sex is over represented among the least privileged groups but it is very much under represented within policy-making arenas. In this respect, women need to join hands and challenge power relations through the formation of movements. These movements are legendary in promoting gender equality and oppose the perpetuation of gender discrimination in economic, political, legal, and social structures. They can then be involved in the political sphere to further challenge the embeddedness of patriarchy and work towards a transformational agenda through an equitable social order. Meanwhile it needs to be politics of ideas as opposed to politics of numbers. Then only will patriarchal entrenchments be questioned and the world be rescued from the poverty trap.

]]>Sep 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 6

Raj Kumar Kothari

Central Asia is strategically positioned as an access between Europe and Asia and offers extensive potential for trade, investment and growth. The region is richly endowed with commodities such as crude oil, natural gas, cotton, gold, copper, aluminum and iron. The increasing importance of the region’s oil and gas resources has generated new rivalries among external powers. A scramble for resources has begun in the Central Asia between Russia and other external players like US, China resulting in a Great Game rivalry. India wants to gain a foothold in the region for its huge energy reserves and also to secure a stable extended neighbourhood in Afghanistan. Today in the post-cold war years, India is increasingly looking toward Central Asia as both a reliable source of oil and natural gas and a focus of its strategic interests in Asia. Trade and economic ties with the landlocked Central Asia are point of interest for India. In this age of globalization, economic ties hold the key to any bilateral, trilateral and multilateral cooperation. Both India and Central Asia share common perceptions about the need to have friendship and mutually advantageous economic relations especially in the backdrop of globalization. Through its ‘connect Central Asia Policy’, New Delhi aims to actively take part in Central Asia’s regional cooperation and security arrangements. This paper attempts to highlight the need for India’s holistic approach towards Central Asia with in a neo-liberal framework in the context of globalization.

]]>Sep 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 6

Kiran Bashir Ahmad and Zainab F. Zadeh

The research focuses on gender discrimination in the psychological adjustment of adolescents with disabilities growing up in Pakistan. In the light of the literature review, it was assumed that disabled male adolescents would show greater levels of psychological adjustment as compared to disabled female adolescents. The sample population consisted of a total of 100 disabled adolescents experiencing visual, auditory or physical disabilities. The hypothesis was strongly supported by the results [t(98)=2.576, p]]>

Sep 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 6

Swapna S. Prabhu and Niranjan Mohapatra

Public diplomacy has become one of the most significant instruments of foreign policy since the operation of international relations has become more public, and the public, in turn, has become more involved. While challenging the importance of material power in achieving various political outcomes, Public Diplomacy (PD) offers an alternative model of practice that enables an understanding of the normative or ideational structures that help in determining audience identities. It furthers our knowledge of international relations by engaging in shared understandings of this inter subjective dimension, mainly through social interaction and interplay. Here lies the convergence between public diplomacy and social constructivism. In defining PD, Bruce Gregory (an expert in PD and foreign affairs) suggests that PD is ‘the means by which states, associates of states and non state actors understand cultures , attitudes and behaviour, build and manage relationships; and influence opinions and actions to advance their interests and values.When a country seeks to achieve objectives and set targets, realize values, or defend interests, it must express, exchange and share its views and ideas with those whose actions and behaviour they wish to alter, deter, or reinforce. Such an interaction may vary from vividly defining the government’s objectives, and the various ways to realize them especially with regard to concluding agreements on contentious issues. The constructivists place IR and public diplomacy in the context of broader social relations. They lay emphasis on how state’s interests and identities are shaped by rule-governed (or norm-governed) interactions. In brief, the theory points out how norms influence state interests and behaviour. Thus, as rightly pointed out by Joshua Goldstein (an international relations expert), the state’s conception of interests, its presentation of itself on the international stage, and its behaviour all might change as a result of inter-state interactions. States, according to this view, come to see themselves as others see them quite similar to the general human tendency. The present article analyses the ways in which constructivist theories of international relations can inform public diplomacy practice. The paper draws on India’s approach to diplomacy and the significance of a virtual convergence between public diplomacy and constructivism in reshaping India’s identity in world politics.

]]>Sep 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 6

Masako Nagase

As the modern hospice movement developed in divergent directions, early principles relating to spirituality changed as the movement entered Japan. How did this development occur? This paper seeks to answer this question by examining changing notions of spirituality in UK/US and Japan during the development of the hospice movement. The history of the hospice movement is divided into four temporal/chronological stages: A. development of the hospice movement in the UK and US; B. the institutionalisation of the hospice movement in the UK/US; C. development of the Japanese hospice movement; and D. the institutionalisation of the hospice movement in Japan. Attitudes towards and policies regarding spirituality during each of these stages is examined in detail, along with associated approaches to diagnosing, disclosing, and accepting death. I argue that in Japan, the processes of standardisation and institutionalisation of hospice care have resulted in the loss of spirituality as its organizing principle.

]]>Sep 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 6

Fitsum Dechasa Kibret

Ethiopia is one of the African countries with the highest rate of urbanization. Such high growth rate of Ethiopian urban centers presents enormous challenges to the nation. One of the developmental challenges facing urban Ethiopia today is unemployment. While there is little improvement in urban unemployment reduction, the overall performance in employment creation remained sluggish. Despite the growth in the labor force, employment growth is inadequate to absorb labor market entrants. The great concern here is, therefore, whether there should be substantial growth in job creation in urban areas to absorb new labor market entrants. This calls for a careful assessment of the current urban unemployment and labor market situation and efforts being done towards employment creation. On this ground, this essay focuses on conceptual, theoretical and policy-relevant description of unemployment and labor market situation in urban Ethiopia. Accordingly, urban unemployment, despite declining trend is still high, the problem being more prevalent among female and youth group. It shows great difference across regional urban level. The review on urban labor market situation of Ethiopia based on ILO KILM shows that urban labor force participation rate and employment rate do not show that much improvement; only about half of the urban labor force is employed as of March 2012. About one third of the total employed individuals were engaged in informal sectors showing the significant role of informal sector in urban Ethiopia as an important part of economic life which tends to absorb a considerable amount of the growing urban labor force. There are different policies and strategies introduced and implemented by the government for employment generations on both the demand and supply side in the public and private sectors. However, the employment creation role of both public and private sectors have been constrained by different factors among others are privatization, tax rate, lack of or inadequate finance/credit and infrastructure/facilities. For these the suggestions made are addressing the poor labor market situation of female; implementing labor-intensive employment creation strategies for the growing young skilled labor force; and arranging access to organized market, credit institution, modern technology, formal training and providing institutional protection for informal sectors.

]]>Sep 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 5

Jonathan Culleton

This paper presents a brief overview of research conducted on the parallel phenomena of the advance of scientific racism in the second half of the nineteenth century, and the development of a ‘modern’ nationalism in Ireland, primarily through discourse around ‘Celticism’ and the Gaelic Revival of the period 1880 to about 1910. The concept of race, within the specific context of late 19th century and early 20th century Europe will be seen to be a critical influence on constructions of Irish identity in the period.

]]>Jul 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 4

Masateru Higashida

This case study examines local resources of disabled people at the individual and social levels in a rural area. The research was conducted in the model administrative division of the national community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programme in Sri Lanka. In this division, the programme began in 1998, and international volunteers started support activities in 2007. The author applied action research after commencing work as a social worker in the local government office in February 2013. Data were based on social work practice in the field level: assessment, planning, implementing and monitoring. This study used data from semi-structured interviews with disabled people, interviews with a social services officer, documents relevant to CBR, and the author's field notes. Data were analyzed with qualitative procedure. The findings suggest that living conditions of disabled people have improved through the development of community workshops and other local resources since 2009. Using interview data, the study reveals individual level elements at each stage: infancy, school age, after school age, turning points and after participation. The significant elements are meeting with a key person and being linked to local resources, developing social support network, and increasing income. The analysis also indicates that the division's CBR programme encounters the challenges: the right to receive education, information sharing and networking, the variety of local resources, sustainable activities, empowerment and leadership, and capacity building. Finally, we discuss implications of these findings and show a new action plan based on the results.

]]>May 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 4

Subrata S Satapathy

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have ushered in the new era and possess the prospective to generate educational and job opportunities, awareness on the basic available health care facilities, legal provisions, government programmes and welfare schemes etc. The benefits amassed from the combination of knowledge and ICT should not be confined to the upper strata of the society but need to liberally flow to all the sections of the female population. The extent of areas in which ICT can put a larger control in the hands of women is extensive and constantly increasing, from managing water distribution at the village-level to standing for local elections and having admittance to enduring learning opportunities. With such an unmatched prowess, ICTs definitely can bring a social change in the rural hinterlands of Odisha, a state in India. A large portion of rural women in the state are reeling under poverty and lack awareness. They are absorbed in the farm sector (which doesn’t promise a hefty return, always) and are unskilled manual laborers. The socio cultural barriers discourage their public participation and decision making ventures. Socially, majority of women in rural Odisha are tied up by age-old traditions. Disparity in women's access to and participation in all communication systems as well as lack of mobilization proves to be a roadblock in their emancipation. It is in this context that this paper wants to examine the underpinning dynamism of culture and technology and if the former fosters or hinders ICT penetration in rural areas of Odisha.

]]>May 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 5

Hassan Basafa Mohammad and Hosein Rezaei

HalilRud drainage basin is located South-East of Iran in Kerman province with an area of 8450 square kilometers. Multiplicity of sites, hills and ancient cemeteries along with numerous findings and cultural materials is a feature of this great cultural zone. A variety of factors and appropriate conditions together with favorable environmental situation have attracted human communities and groups from the oldest ages in this great cultural sphere. In 2001 and after accidental discovery of cultural materials obtained from very rich and ancient cemeteries in HalilRud River margin, it has been revealed that the HalilRud cultural zone has been one of the largest industrial and cultural centers of Ancient East in production and export of manufactured goods in the second half of the third millennium BC. Engraved chlorite vessels and other handicraft had been exported to other urban areas of Southwest Asia and Central Asia to Syria.In this study, based on study of 144 pieces of engraved chlorite vessels fromHalilRud River zone so far introduced, it has been attempted to present a preliminary analysis of their iconography. Also, they have been briefly compared with other findings of Southeastern Iran sites such as Tape Yahya, Shahdad and Shahr-I-Sokhta.

]]>Jul 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 5

Madalena d’Oliveira-Martins

Social theory is characterized by great creativity with regard to the formulation of categories and concepts that allow for the development of methodologies and social descriptions. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the past fifty years sociological reflexivity as a methodological element and research tool has become a fruitful and significant tool for social analysis. Sociological reflexivity plays a role in analysing the limits and conditions that shape and influence both sociology’s object of study and the sociological researcher.The inward turn that sociology has made through sociological reflexivity leads us to new understandings of social action and opens up new avenues of study, as is apparent in the sociology of emotions developed by the American sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild. This article analyses the concepts of classical sociology that open up to sociological reflexivity and, consequently, the importance that this concept implies for the emergence of the sociology of emotions as a subfield of reflexive sociology.

]]>Jul 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 5

Peter Onyango Onyoyo

By illustrating the theoretical framework of equality rights the author seeks to explain some of the key challenges facing their enforceability and constitutionality in the Kenyan modern legal system. Under the Constitution of 2010, it is particularly emphasised that the State and its institutions must endeavour to enforce human rights and the rule of law for the betterment of the situation of living worth for human dignity in regard to the international minimum standards. It is in this light that this previewed article seeks to bring to juridical discussion the best understanding of equality rights and why many jurisdictions still fail to fully implement them. The research is not blind of similar difficulties faced in civilised nations and modern democracies but also makes substantive attempts to provide solution based on case by case analysis.

]]>Jul 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 5

Enzo Rossi and Luca Vitali

This study explores the results of a survey conducted in some reception centers for refugees in Italy to assess the perceptions of asylum seekers about the administrative procedures following their application and the general conditions of reception. Our findings are also corroborated by the views of social workers, managers of the centers, officials of Italian Agencies for refugees and UNHCR representatives. We discuss the push-pull factors underlying the choice of leaving their homeland and the perils they went through during the journey to Europe. Safety emerges as the main concern of asylum seekers. The pull factors and the presence of networks of fellow countrymen turn out to be not very significant in determining the country of destination of refugees, in contrast with previous studies. Some remarks about the design of the reception system in Europe follow, since the distribution of the burden among States is far from efficient and refugees’ human rights might be, at times, undermined.

]]>Jul 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 4

Hussein Alkhozahe Fouzyah Alzubair and Maha Alfuryh

This study aimed to identify the views of Saudi women in terms of their contribution to the social responsibility programs. It concludes that Saudi women are aware of the concept and levels of social responsibility and of the difficulties that stand in the way of their contribution to the social responsibility programs, also suggesting suitable solutions for facing these obstacles.

]]>May 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 4

Mehmet Aslan

This paper outlines the role of the International Turkish Language Olympiads (ITLO) in establishing the understanding and importance of intercultural dialogue and communication amongst high school students across the globe as a means of combating the negative aspects of globalisation. It highlights the use of foreign language education as a catalyst to enable this interaction and as a means for enhancing understanding, respect and tolerance amongst people from different backgrounds. The ITLO is an NGO that organises language and culture Olympiads for secondary students from Transnational Turkish Schools; hosting 2000 students from 140 countries in the latest 2013 Olympiads. The ITLO are held in Turkey and in the Turkish language which aim to facilitate significant cultural exposure and exchange between students in an environment of respect and openness. Using information gathered from a sample set of student participants in the ITLO, this paper considers whether the ITLO is able to achieve its aim and whether the forum of the ITLO is successful for this purpose. Overall, it argues that the ITLO provides a platform for cross-cultural exchange and supports the aims of working towards a more peaceful world through a celebration of diversity, intercultural dialogue and respect for all humanity.

]]>May 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 3

Kwan Choi and Ju-Lak Lee

The purpose of this paper is to attempt an assessment of the extent and prevalence of serial murder through possible criminological theories. Each of the main theories is discussed to evaluate whether a successful explanation for serial killing can be provided. For the purpose of this piece of work we have concentrated primarily on America as it has the highest rate of serial killings and hence they have produced most of the research into this subject area. Britain is following America's example; investigative techniques and the development of a profiling system. There are four parts for better understanding and exploration in terms of an assessment of the serial murder. First part looks at the legal definitions of murder, the categorisation of types of multiple murder and the common elements within serial murder. In second part various definitions of serial murder are examined and the many differing typologies of serial killers are looked at. Third part addresses the historical and modern-day extent of serial murder and questions the validity of research into its current prevalence. The discussions are that biological, psychiatric, psychological, and sociological theories are discussed and their applicability to the existence of serial murder evaluated. At the end of present paper, a multi-dimensional model of the serial killer is described.

]]>Mar 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 3

Hong Gong and Bingchuan Zha

In the 21st century, aging of population and employment will be one of China's biggest problems. How to develop and realize the re-employment of older Human Resource is the key to solving this problem. This paper analyzed the status of older human resources and re-employment of older workers in China, and then proposed some suggestions for reemployment patterns of older workers.

]]>Mar 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 3

Seyed Mohsen Mirhosseini

During 1993-1997, the policy of dual containment was selected by Clinton’s administration to prevent Iran and Iraq from any action jeopardizing the interests of the international community especially the United State of America. The new policy of dual containment was the result of the new world order in which the U.S. found itself as the hub of the new world after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Also, this new policy put away the balance of power policy that was the main policy of previous American administrations which had sought a balance of power between Iran and Iraq in order to contain these two nations from any aggression to the global peace and security.

]]>Mar 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 3

Elena Kotyrlo

Historically, the northern Russian regions have been an object of a special socio-economic policy, united by extreme climate conditions, geographical isolation and rich natural resources reserves. Northern investment risks in human capital formation are proposed in the paper, as an indicator of investment conditions, which can be employed to improve policy of human development in the northern regions of Russia. Northern investment risks encompass uncertainties associated with extreme northern climate conditions, historically determined allocation of resources in the Russian northern regions and restrictions on labour mobility caused by geographic isolation and administrative rules. Investment risks in human capital, its measurement, methods of estimation are considered. Empirical estimation illustrates higher investment risks in the northern regions. Method of estimation can be employed widely to compare investment conditions in imperfect economies. Policy of insurance of private investment risks and current restrictions on it’s implementation in the northern regions of Russia are discussed.

]]>Mar 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 3

Abdulrahman Essa Al Lily and Jed Rivera Foland

This work looks into the culturalisation of educational technologies, a subject that appears thus far to not have received sufficient attention from the international academic community. It is structured around the research question: How have educational technologies been exposed and subjected to the influence of societal cultures? This question is addressed by a qualitative case study of a Saudi state university, analysing its documents, interviewing its members and observing its daily social-academic dynamics. The data were interrogated using the grounded theory approach. This method of analysis thus singled out two main themes: The Influence of Societal Cultures on Educational Technologies and The Influence of Educational Technologies on Societal Cultures. A theoretical proposition arises from these themes; that the field of educational technology is a fertile ground for anthropological and historical enquiry, with possibilities for mutual feedback between societal cultures and educational technologies. The recommendation is that researchers and commentators in the field of educational technologies seek to benefit from anthropological and historical ways of thinking.

]]>Mar 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 3

V. Tsyganov

Limits of global economic growth are negatively influencing on people level of life that leads to social instability. To consider this problem, psycho physiological model of artificial consciousness of a farseeing hedonist as a member of society is developed and investigated. It is shown that human nature of consumer produces constantly growing desire. After reaching the limits of growth, people from consumer society feel persistent negative emotions and dissatisfaction. It provides the problem of socio-economic stagnation. Its solutions can be increasing of demand (e.g., as a result of new Kondratieff technological cycle), or decreasing a consumption followed by its growth (e.g., global financial crisis or decay of state unions). Alternative humanistic solution is replacing the consumer values to the spiritual.

]]>Mar 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 3

MSc Carmen Jimenez and Drs Jan te Kloeze

It is fair to say that tourism has become into one of the largest and faster growing industries of the planet. The tourism sector represents 3-5% of the GDP, jobs and investment in first world countries, and up to 30% in developing countries. As tourism continues to gain economic importance as a source of foreign exchange, so does the debate about its positive and negative effects in contemporary literature. There are several authors stating that international traveling promotes understanding and trust among people from different backgrounds. This line of thinking has brought up to surface the concept of Peace through Tourism. Sometimes regarded as an over-statement, this concept is a worth mentioning topic of debate. The present paper discusses both views on the subject; the supporting arguments defending it and the arguments stating that it is rather a naïve conception of what tourism really is. The aim is to clarify the real scope of the notion of Peace through Tourism and propose a rationale and working concept for tourism educators. In addition, the paper presents some of the challenges that still lay ahead for tourism educators dealing with this topic.

]]>Mar 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 2

Michele Carducci and Anna Silvia Bruno

The paper wants to underline why the BRICS as a legal network represents a new challenge for the European Union. The state of the art on the BRICS theme can be resumed in few thematic profiles: on which parameters are the relationships of the BRICS countries with the other world players, from the European Union to Italy, observed and judged; what convergences of constitutional significance do the BRICS countries present; what theories and methods of comparison are Legal Scholars using to study the BRICS phenomenon; what conditional convergences do the BRICS countries produce within their own “network of transfer” for practices and policies; what is the role of national Constitutions as conditional factors in the BRICS economic relationships and what competitive benefit do the BRICS countries have on the global market. But all these points leave the new geography drawn by the BRICS countries out of consideration and the fact that it operates as a legal network and network to transfer practices and policies is neglected. The paper tries to sketch a critical outline of this new international and atypical subject.

In this age of transition from decades of turmoil and instability in urban areas, urban centers validate their prestige and importance as a commercial, cultural and recreational center. Urban centers as the housing and shelter for millions of people and visitors will facilitate and improve human interaction. Since the city is very complex, existence and attendance of cycles of declining and wane, reform and reconstruction are obvious. At the best form, appearance of a city will be realized from its center & heart. Recently, in western countries, having vibrant and dynamic urban centers has caught the attention of many scholars. Actually creating an environment where social interaction is high and gives people a sense of vitality. On the other hand, to include such dynamism in context of an urban center, it needs adequate respondents. Therefore, in this paper, at firs the criteria for responsive environments, characters of a vibrant city center and the main & common features between them is introduced, using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), criteria are weighted and prioritized. The results show that, sustaining the above criteria and codifying proposed policies and strategies, helps to recreate the historic core of Qazvin city.

]]>Feb 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 2

H. E. Baber

In cases of fission, on Lewis’ account, distinct individuals share stages prior to fission. There is a sense in which the survival of such ‘cohabiting’ individuals is guaranteed. Had fission not occurred there would have been a single individual in their place? So if they, those cohabiting individuals, exist they must survive fission. To that extent any concern they might have about whether they will survive fission is unwarranted. But only to that extent. Like cohabitants, we singles are also guaranteed that our lives won’t be over until they’re over. Singles and cohabitants have the same reason to be sanguine about their futures—and the same reason to be concerned.

It has been proved that the basic changes in post-Islam coin minting have been occurred in Ilkhanid era; therefore a survey on the time coins may help us understand the changes and econopolitical situation of the era. In this research, we have applied the non-destructive PIXE method to test 32 Ilkhanid coins belonging to various rulers. The highest and the lowest silver percent’s in Damghan were related to Ghazan, and Tegudar and Arghun, respectively. Regarding the conditions of the coins in Arghun era, we may conclude that he had been engaged in the area's conflicts. Most of the coins have mostly close roots, except for two cases.

]]>Feb 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 1

Anne Innis Dagg

Adults of monkey and ape species often examine and fondle the penis and scrotum of youngsters. In the past, tribal societies in hot climates routinely wore little clothing so that the genitalia of boys were commonly exposed and unremarked. Diapers were unknown. By contrast, in Western societies genitalia must always be covered, and unethical adults can traumatize boys to the point of their suicide by in secret manipulating these genitalia. The cause of this negative reaction seems to be related to the tension involved in toilet-training toddlers. Parents are usually anxious to hurry the process, in the past to reduce the laundry of cloth diapers and presently to enrol the child in day care programs that refuse to admit children in diapers. Coercive toilet-training may cause irrational fears in boys, some of whom continue to wet their beds as adults. Western insistence that genitalia must be private, never public, may instil in boys that privacy means dirty as well, and too shameful to talk about to their parents or guardians.

]]>Jan 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 1

Roswitha Breckner

Notwithstanding the deconstruction of essentialist concepts of national or ethnic identity also with respect to the growing movements between nation states and developing transnational spheres [1-4], to construct collective belongings with references to imagined communities[5] based in nation, culture or ethnicity still seems to be a relevant social practice. At the same time, we can observe increasing ambivalences and even paradoxes inherent in these practices. They show when looking at biographical processes in which collective belongings concretely take shape. Based on empirical research on East-West European migration during the Cold War [6], I would like to demonstrate in this article how different biographical experiences interconnect when national, cultural, ethnic or other collective identities emerge, and also when they drop to the background in processes of undoing a collective identity.

]]>Jan 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 1

Ime N. George David E. Ukpong and Eme E. Imah

This paper examines the marriage pattern across several cultures. In doing so, it analyses problems and prospects of the institution and also provides insights into several marital practices observed across cultures. It also examines forms of marriage, marital expectations and myths. Furthermore, it discusses the patterns of marriage, its changing institution and what makes marriage to work. These include establishing love maps, nurturing fondness and admiration, turning towards each other instead of away, making one’s partner to influence the other, solving solvable conflicts, overcoming gridlock and creating shared meaning. It concludes by stating that not all marriages are illusional for the same reason, nor is there usually one reason for an unworkable marriage.

]]>Jan 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 2 Number 1

Seung-jun Moon Jong Dae Kim and Tae Woo Kim

Corporations are increasingly focused on their social impact; thus, they seek to enhance their social images through acts of corporate social responsibility (CSR). To this end, corporations raise public awareness of their positive social returns via various mass media vehicles. In this research, we analyzed the public relations strategy for Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water) by identifying a synergistic combination of media vehicles to improve the company’s social image and to inform stakeholders of the Gyeongin Ara Waterway’s environmental and economic contributions. K-Water is one of the most famous public corporations in Korea; currently, it relies on four mass media vehicles (television, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet) for public relations communications. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze which combination of mass media vehicles worked best in informing stakeholders of the environmental friendliness of the Gyeongin Ara Waterway.

]]>Jan 2014Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 4

Sadeq Rahimi and Cécile Rousseau

Collective self-esteem represents a potentially useful construct for understanding intergroup relations in multiethnic societies, but current literature reflects a gap in cross-cultural comparisons of this concept. This study was designed to compare expression of collective self-esteem and its relation to perception of self and others across two distinct cultural groups. Collective self-esteem, personal self-esteem and perception of racism were measured in two groups of 114 Cambodian immigrants and 94 Francophone Quebecois, each composed of adolescents and their parents. The magnitude of collective self-esteem, as well as its relation with personal self-esteem and perception of racism differed across groups. Further analyses highlighted cultural factors in the function and impact of collective self-esteem, while suggesting that cultural characteristics may change rapidly when groups experience considerable modifications in their social identity because of intergenerational shifts and because of minority-majority tensions.

]]>Dec 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 4

Eira Mishra

Trafficking of human beings is a global phenomenon which has gained momentum in recent years. It is the modern-day equivalent of slavery. Trafficking in persons is the third largest form of organised crime after trafficking in arms and drugs (UNODC, 2000). Even though the crime of human trafficking for any purpose is both under-recorded and under-reported, the 2004 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report estimated at least 600,000 to 800,000 women and children being trafficked across international borders every year, the majority being trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation (US DHHS, 2004). This paper seeks to provide an analytical framework for designing more effective laws against human trafficking. The paper in first place, examines human trafficking operations in India and the efforts of the Indian government, non-governmental organizations, and various international organisations to put a stop to trafficking by prosecution of traffickers and providing assistance to survivors of trafficking. The second section investigates the causes of human trafficking which make India both a source and a destination of trafficking in persons, as it continues to grow globally. In the final section of the paper viable solutions to effectively reduce India's tolerance to human trafficking and to secure people from being trafficked internally and to various countries are worked out. The legal arrangements for the protection of human rights and the dignity of women and children in the Indian context and the efforts which the government ought to take in order to eradicate this evil are suggested. This paper is a piece of pure theoretical work and consists of a simple research aimed at finding a particular statement of law or a more complex and in-depth analysis of legal reasoning.

]]>Dec 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 4

Elena A. Makarova and Elena L. Makarova

Interaction of cultures calls for cultural awareness development. Knowledge is a powerful weapon to overcome prejudices, stereotyping and xenophobia. To build cultural awareness and tolerance to the peculiarities of someone else's culture, global learners must learn how to determine the existence of differences between cultures and how to adapt their own behavior to a foreign culture. In today's world, many problems arise because of the errors in communication, because people feel impossible "to find a common language." Communicative interactions can be successful or can result in a complete failure depending on many factors: the availability of linguistic competence of the conversation participants, on cultural and communicative competence of the parties of communication event, i.e., whether or not they have common linguistic and cultural background knowledge and what is the balance between the common and different in their processes of perception and symbolic systems.

]]>Dec 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 3

Nekrasov S.A.

The article considers the numerically-linguistic anomaly for the theme of Christianity that is investigated by the probability theory methods. It is shown that the probability of casual occurrence of considered anomalies is rather small.

]]>Nov 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 3

Melinda R. Roberts, PhD

This qualitative ethnographic study was conducted in a family owned and operated bar. This particular research project seeks to examine leisure activities that take place in a small bar that is family owned and operated. The research concentrates on how the family members and bartenders accommodate the leisure of the patrons that visit the bar. The main goal of the study was to describe the use of leisure by the patrons and how the bartenders and family members contribute to the leisure of the patrons. The regulars of this tavern have either traded other social ties for the social ties at this tavern or they have failed in other social arenas and sought social acceptance at the tavern. Interestingly, many of the tavern patrons come from varied socioeconomic backgrounds.

]]>Nov 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 3

Roel Popping

Text analysis might be used as a method to evaluate how policy is developing. This is shown by investigating what is said in speeches from the throne in the Netherlands with regard to the integration of immigrants. Does the government play a positive role in this process or do the immigrants have to take care of their own integration? Since in the last years anti-immigrant parties have participated in the government coalition, one might expect a move into the direction of this last view. Based on the proposals presented in the speeches from 1980 until 2011 it turns out that a only slight tendency can be observed in favor of the latter policy in the Netherlands.

]]>Nov 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 3

Dr RecepDogan

The purpose of this study is to explore the place of humankind amidst the entire creation according to the Islamic perspective. We have examined the critical areas of knowledge on human beings. Focusing on the empirical, emotional and rational sides of human beings; we have discussed the mechanismsthat accentuate a human soul, and the place of human reason in this mechanism. Pointing to the arguments of whether human beings are born in a neutral or laden with meanings, we have been reminded of human’s venture of giving meanings to things and beings in the universe. Referring to the vicegerency of human beings on earth, we have indicated how human beings have contributed to the maturation process in the universe with all the talents, blessings and faculties they are given such as speech, rhetoric and intellect.

]]>Nov 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 3

David Troitino

The European identity is a necessity in the European Union. As the organization is becoming closer to a new governmental structure, the participation of the people is more needed in the process. Traditionally the European integration has been decided by the governments of the member states plus some influence of the European institutions, without the participation of the European citizens. The main part of the sovereignty was hold by the member states and hence there was no need for the participation of the people. Currently the Union is reaching a point where the sovereignty is being shared in the common forums that are the European institutions, as the European Parliament or the European Commission. Democracy is the main pillar of the political system of Europe, and any new form of government should include it. The people in order to participate in the political system needs to identify themselves with it, needs to find common roots to collaborate with each other in the society. Previously this identification was done through the concept of nation, a community of citizens who shared common values and culture. This article describes the current situation of the common European identity, basic for the proper working of the democratic system in the European level, and proposes different measures in order to increase the cohesion between the people of Europe.

]]>Nov 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Pasquale Peluso

The Camorra is a closed sect that acts in the shadows and does not collect and preserve documents that can later be studied by scholars or researchers. It is hard to rebuild the history of the Camorra: the picture is fragmented, a mix of half-truths and legends. The aim of this article is to make a diachronic excursus in order to find out the origins of the Neapolitan Camorra, that has had a longer history than any of the other mafias, and to explain how this secret organization has changed its main features from 1800 to the present and from the Bella Società Riformata to Nuova Camorra Organizzata. Finally the modern clans that fight to keep the possession of their territory and operate like financial holdings in order to improve their business through legal and illegal affairs.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Daniel Żychliński

The main purpose of this paper is to explain the absence of cremation sites within cemeteries of the Przeworsk and Wielbark communities in Great Poland – region located in western part of Poland. First of mentioned cultures existed there from the end of II century BC to the beginning of VI century AD (125/100 BC-500/510 AD). Second of them - the middle of the I century AD to 2nd half of the III century AD (40/50 AD-260/270 AD). Great Poland comprised part of Barbaricum, which was not very closely connected with the Roman Empire, but there is much evidence for contacts between those two regions. Based on current research connected with rites of passage observed in burial rituals of those communities, it seems obvious that cremation places – ustrina were located out of cemeteries and settlements in separated places near banks of the rivers, because they appertained to liminal zone. But busta located within necropolis were in fact graves and belonged to sacrum zone.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

DEBASISH ROY M. Phil

Birbhum district originates in the chhotanagpu plateau region of Jharkhand and is slope across the district in a west-east direction. Here the percentage of Hindu population is 64.5%, percentage of Muslim population is 35.1% and others consist of 0.40%. The methodology is mainly based on United Nations Development Programme HDR framework. 7 blocks are in less developed category, 12 blocks are in medium developed category.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Ainars Brencis and Jacob Ikkala

Purpose - within the semi-science of the most influential place rankings, a trend is observed that these rankings discriminate places at both extremes of the spectrum which leaves cities such as Riga but also Tokyo and New York unmentioned, time and again. We view the established rankings as having strong biases favouring a narrow group of cities that change places from year to year to fill the top ten of cities. The purpose of this paper is to confront consumer-based city brand index versus population size and discuss the need for city size classes while creating and presenting place brand rankings. Design/methodology/approach - the conclusions of this study were made from confronting the primary data to the secondary. The primary data come from sample frame of 426 respondents from all the Latvian cities depending on weight of their population and were used to create the consumer-based city brand rankings. The secondary data consisted of city size rankings which were used to evaluate the correlation with previously acquired city brand rankings. Findings - this study shows that in general population size does not matter exclusively - in theory every small city can compete with a bigger one in mental maps of human being. In reality this ability is fixed to an average within the certain fluctuation corridor. We found out that in average a city can be 2 times smaller, but at the same time have 3.5 times higher brand index with the total handicap of 5.5 times. It means that in human perception cities are equal opponents only if their size difference is not higher than 4 to 6 times. If this average is exceeded the probability to be an equal opponents is just theoretical. Practical implications - we suggest introducing city classes within 4 - 6 size times while measuring and representing consumer-based city brand rankings. It will provide a more objective representation of cognitive data especially if dealing to get representative rankings for cities of different size. Originality/value - the main contribution of this paper are the size VS brand index averages clearly showing correlation between perceives brand value and city size.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Adelia de Miguel and Ascensión Fumero

The objective of this study (female N = 1072, male N = 471) was replication of multidimensionality of Bem Sexual-Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1974) defended by Fernández and his research group in Spain. A methodological but not ideological approach is used to analyze the answers with an exploratory factor analysis. Methodological and substantive arenas will be examined. Excluding effects of social desirability and social evolution, a first selection of items provides clearly an orthogonal two-factor structure, in adult people. Reliabilities of both new re-named nurturance and dominance components are 0.80 and 0.78, respectively. There are sex differences in both new components: women’ score was higher than men score for nurturance factor, and lower for dominance factor. The results of a cross-tab analysis also indicate sex differences in fourfold typology combining both factors like Bem’s median split procedure. Finally, convergent validity with personality basic tendencies and their facets recommends making a re-conceptualization of both nurturance and dominance factors like personality traits. Implications for further studies of gender identity – social values in Spain are discussed from evolutionary approach.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Atetwe Lydiah Kabole Felix Nguzo Kioli and Kennedy Onkware

Abuse of elderly people is a form of family violence, which has existed for years; although available data signify that much abuse goes unrecognized and is hidden from public awareness. Abuse of elderly people may take various forms including physical harm, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, financial or material exploitation, and intentional or unintentional neglect. Studies indicate that change and modernization have exacerbated the undermining of the roles, status and the welfare of elderly people who are increasingly becoming socially isolated and psychologically depleted. Elderly people in Emuhaya District may not be devoid of elderly abuse. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of empirical evidence on the extent and impact of this phenomenon. Thus, this study was designed to examine the social context of abuse of the elderly people in Emuhaya District. Specifically, the study sought to determine the prevalence of elderly people abuse in the district; examine different forms of abuse of elderly people; examine the social contexts under which abuse occurs and to analyze the attitude of the community towards the elderly people in the district. It was conducted within the context of social exclusion and disengagement theories and the concept of stress of the caregiver. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to collect data. From a population of 11,127 elderly people aged 65 years and above, Yamane’s (1967) formula was used to sample 386 respondents. The findings of the study reveal that 81.1% of the elderly experience single or multiple abuses. This abuse is attributed to economical, physical, cultural, social and psychological factors. Results revealed that different groups of people have different attitudes towards the elderly and ageing. Generally, the social context of ageing determines the attitude toward ageing and the elderly. Since poverty appeared to be the main pointer to elderly abuse, it was recommended that a good economic environment should be provided so that the elderly remain economically productive, thus maintaining and enhancing the positive attitude of the youth towards the elderly. In addition, a coordinated community response to elderly people abuse is imperative. This will include institutionalized policies coordinated by all levels of the community including healthcare providers, community-based elderly abuse advocacy groups, elderly welfare and protective service agencies and the civil and criminal justice systems.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Golam Sarwar Khan

A colossal influx of Hindus from East Bengal (EB) to West Bengal (WB) was evidenced as a consequence of communal riots and partition-migration during 1946-1947. In WB alone, an estimated 3 million uprooted EB Hindus became ‘refugee-migrants’ (coerced to flee their homeland and eventually settled as migrants). Initially, the EB Hindus were struggling to resettle in Kolkata and its vicinities. However, their resettlement effort was partially dented by the inimical attitude of the WB Hindus for economic reason. Socio-cultural issues further exacerbated the cleavage between the locals and the settlers. These factors resulted in a new phase of regional communal categorisation between the EB and WB Hindus against the conventional Hindu-Muslim conflict. Subsequently, regional differences and sense of exclusion were reflected in their attitudes of retaining own family values, marriage practices and distinct cultural identities. This paper attempts to analyse the EB Hindus’ tendency of maintaining typical family norms and continuity of their cultural traits amidst the WB local culture in Kolkata. A theoretical discussion will be carried out on symbolic construction of community and social exclusion and variance.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Dr. Ibia E. Ibia and Mrs.Imoh B.Ekott

The study was carried out to investigate Internet Usage and the Development of Social Skills among youths in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Gender and age differences, differences in the degree of social involvement, social tolerance, patterns of behaviour between internet users and non-users and the relationship between internet usage and social skills development was investigated. Six research questions turned into hypotheses guided the study. The survey research design was adopted. From a population of 9,343 regular year two undergraduates, 500 samples were drawn through stratified random sampling technique at equal gender basis from 5 out of 11 faculties of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A validated Instrument, Internet Usage and Social Skills Development Questionnaire (IUSSDO) with reliability coefficient of .73 was used to gather data for the study. The t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation were used to analyze data at .05 level of significance. Results indicated significant gender and age differences in internet usage; significant differences in social skills development, social tolerance and pattern of behaviour between internet users and non-users while a strong relationship was established between internet usage and social skills development. It was concluded that internet usage negatively affected social skills development of youths. It was recommended among other things that parents, guardians, teachers, school counsellors and non-governmental organizations should encourage youths to be self-disciplined and relates to people in the real world in acceptable manners.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Michael P. Ferber

This article discusses the potential of special religious zones to enhance social harmony in China and serve as ‘useful opium’. Liu Peng has suggested that special religious zones could be created in the same way that special economic zones helped to open China to free economic markets. These special religious zones would encompass a geographical region in which the country's typical or national laws would be modified as a type of social experiment in religious freedom. Two particular areas special religious zones could enhance social harmony include solutions to social crises caused by regional migration and to China’s growing environmental crisis.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Gábor Szécsi

This article argues that the electronically mediated communication contributes to the construction of new, mediated forms of communities which are based on the interaction or operational synthesis of virtual and physical communities. The appearance of these new forms of communities leads to a new conceptualization of the relation between self and community. The aim of this essay, on the one hand, is to show that with the mediatization of communities, our concept of community becomes more complex. On the other hand, in this article I try to prove the assumption that the medium of the mediatization and new conceptualization of community is a specific pictorial language of electronically mediated communication.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 2

Ushba Ismail

Print media and electronic media both have been providing information and news to the masses. With emergence of new technologies and due to countless news channels newspapers have started facing serious threat in terms of less readership, minimum advertising revenues and public preferences. Newspapers are different in nature as compared to news channels but effects on readership are obvious. Most important factor which is causing an alarming situation is of timeliness. New Media technologies and their easy access are the elements to cause less readership of newspapers. In order to compete and survive newspaper industry has to reshape its policies, ideas and selection of content.

]]>Sep 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 1

Seung-jun Moon Tae Woo Kim and Sun Hong Park

Today, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs have proliferated among the world's largest corporations. Recently, the role of major corporations in Korea has changed also. Rather than simply making profit, they now have a social role and strive to be accountable to stakeholders. The Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (SMRT), one of the major public corporations in Korea, spends much money on its multi-platform mass media strategy. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (SMRT) is successfully implementing a multi-platform mass media strategy to inform stakeholders of efforts to improve social, economic, and safety environments. A hierarchical regression analysis was used because it is one of the best methods to control for third variables causing pseudo-effects. Finally, it was found out that only newspaper and radio affected respondents' perception of SMRT's social environment. Interestingly, exposure to magazine was negatively related to respondents' perception of SMRT's economic environment. In the case of respondents' perception of SMRT's safety environment, none of the chosen mass media platforms had any affect at all.

]]>Jul 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 1

Aimilia Voulvouli

Several studies suggest that both in Greece and Cyprus, environmental violations are being publicly discussed and defined by active citizens members of Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (ENGOs) who demand the protection of the environment. These actors of civil society demand and often achieve visibility from the central policy making. Given the above, the present text attempts to propose certain points that could contribute towards the establishment of a Critical Green Criminology by taking into consideration bottom-up perspectives of environmental crime. By studying perspectives, representations and demands of environmental NGOs concerning environmental criminality, through the prism of environmentalism as a cultural perspective, the present article constitutes a proposal for a green criminology which will focus on the invisible-from formal social control-environmental violations, as these are defined by active citizens and environmental organisations.

Like marriage, divorce has remarkable effects on individuals, family and society. Marriage performs many basic and social functions whereas divorce involves diverse social impact (both positive and negative) on the divorcees. In Bangladesh, divorce has not received significant attention from the research community yet, though both marriage and divorce are socially sanctioned that recognize the changing patterns of the most important institutions - family and marriage - in the society. In order to explore the adverse effects of divorce, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 2007 over Sylhet district (north-east part of Bangladesh) by applying ‘Case Study' as method and ‘Interview and observation' as data collection techniques with a sample of twenty divorced women. The study elicited that child marriage still occurs though the rate is not higher than that of before. Polygamy is increasing at high rate resulted from the exercise of modern norms and values, satellite culture, professional and occupational diversity, reconstitution of nuclear family breaking down the joint family, poverty, and the like. Divorce rate is steadily increasing and its social effects are many and multi-facets. Women are the primary victims who carry most of the instantaneous consequences of divorce and ultimately pay most of the costs of its adverse effects.

]]>Jul 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 1

Kim Young-Hwa

The beginning of social work and its formation differ in each society due to its unique historical and social background inherent to a society, so the beginning of social work in Korea is also categorically influenced by historical events. How social work in Korea began and why the expression ‘social work' is no longer used and has been replaced by ‘social welfare' can be understood in the context of the social work development process in Korea, as the change of word usage can be viewed as a product of history that reflects its epoch and society. Up until around 1980, all the work in this field had been called ‘social work', thereafter the terminology ‘social welfare' was used, but there is no longer any differentiation between these two terms as the microscopic approach of social work on personal services and the macroscopic approach of social policy are jointly called ‘social welfare'. This research is to consolidate the details and characteristics of social work and social welfare development in Korea. Consequently, this paper focused how social work in Korea started, what are the patterns of social welfare development, and what are the prospects and problems of social welfare in Korea. The task for Korean Social Welfare can be analyzed critically into five categories. Firstly, the nation's sympathy and approval must be sought for a particular welfare system. Secondly, it is necessary to increase the people's level of awareness of welfare issues. Thirdly, it is necessary for policy-makers to be aware of the problems in the Korean welfare system, and to have professional knowledge and accomplishments, and the power of decision-making on social welfare policy. Fourthly, an effort is needed to increase the level of expenditure on welfare. As welfare finance primarily derives from the nation's taxes, it is important to carry out taxation through a fair system as acknowledged by the people. Fifthly, it is necessary to develop a Korean social welfare model. Korean welfare model development needs to solve the problem of the right to survival of the socially deprived class and the socially weak, and social welfare policy and social services must be developed as a priority so as to guarantee their minimum livelihood expenditure to improve their quality of life. A welfare policy that includes the minority in social solidarity, and an intelligent, mature welfare policy which fosters integration, equality and unity, and allows for the continuous development of social welfare policy, must be the primary focus. In future, social welfare must be a pivotal policy of the government to enable it to recover its legitimacy and trust, and in implementing this there will be a greater sense of national unity and duty. Accordingly, I expect the Korean welfare model to be a driving force in the development of a multi-cultural society and in resolving the North-South division and confrontation and regional conflicts and divisions through regional solidarity.

]]>Jul 2013Source:Sociology and Anthropology Volume 1 Number 1

Klaus Martin Beckmann and Adrian Hepi

Australia is talking about ‘Closing the Gap'.This gap relates to differences in qualitative and quantitative criteria, comparing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with non-indigenous people. We link internet access with prevention of trauma for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Queensland Australia. Some areas around the world are lagging behind with information technology (IT) development, so it appears do some of the rural and remote areas in Queensland Australia. We look at the gap in internet access and how potentially good IT access may have a beneficial effect on how trauma is perpetuated trans-generationally. Human society is seeing unprecedented acceleration in the development of faster and wider ranging options for communication. We show that lack of IT access is potentially a barrier to accessing self-motivated education and changing perceptions as to what may be acceptable parenting. We draw parallels with powerful internet-assisted groupings of individuals that triggered change. Some of these initiatives have been successful, some appear popular and widely acceptable,others not. Immediate communication was quintessential for individuals coming together. Self-motivated addressing of the cycle of abuse via internet social networking sites in Australia's remotest areas is unlikely without good IT access. Of course there are many other factors contributing to the prevalence of child abuse in remote parts of Australia. Although we are hopeful, it remains to be seen what effect the internet will have on moving forward together when even the remotest parts are well connected.